The Boys at the Bakery
by Angelic Land
Summary: Hideki Motosuwa and Hiroyasu Ueda's friendship in further detail. It begins very slowly and their relationship will grow. Will it be romance? You will have to follow the story to see what happens.
1. Chapter 1

Hideki was on the early shift at his job, so he had time to walk through town on his way home. Chiroru Patisserie, the bakery at which he used to work, stayed open until five o'clock; so he decided to stop by and say hello to his old boss, Hiroyasu Ueda.

As Hideki turned the corner onto the street where Chiroru stood, he could already smell the aroma of baked goods. Ueda-san sometimes left a cart filled with mini cakes and croissants outside the bakery window to attract passersby.

Hideki must have hit the early evening rush of customers. The entire block must have been buying ingredients to make dinner and tasty treats for dessert, because when he walked into the patisserie, it was full of people waiting to be helped. Ueda-san was running in and out of the kitchen at a frantic pace, filling everyone's orders.

When he finally noticed the boy, Hideki said: "Good evening, Ueda-san. May I give you a hand, since you're busy?"

"I've got it all under control, but thanks for offering," Ueda-san said, as three more customers walked in. Then he changed his mind. "On second thought… Sure!"

Hideki got behind the counter as quickly as he could, pushing his way through the crowded store.

When he got his bearings, he called: "I can help the next customer, please!"

A woman with long, brown hair stepped up and said: "Hello sir, I would like to have three of those," as she pointed towards a row of chocolate roll cakes, iced with tan, hazelnut frosting.

Hideki reached into the glass dessert case and pulled the pastries out with a piece of wax paper, then placing them in a box with a label that read: 'Chiroru Patisserie'.

"Will that be all?" Hideki asked the woman.

"Yes. Thank you very much," she responded, as Hideki placed the box on a scale.

Then, Ueda-san came rushing out of the kitchen with two mixed dessert platters, wrapped in colored cellophane plastic. He put them down on the counter to the right of Hideki, where a man was waiting to pick them up.

He thanked Ueda-san and handed him a bill bigger than necessary. "Keep the change, sir, and give your helper a good tip," the man said, as he left the bakery.

After helping several more customers, Ueda-san and Hideki were finally able to have a normal conversation.

"It seems like business is doing really well, Ueda-san," Hideki said.

"It sure is. Sometimes it gets a little overwhelming, actually. Take tonight, for example; I don't know what I would have done if you hadn't shown up," said the baker.

"I'm glad I could help out," said Hideki, cheerfully.

"If you wouldn't mind thinking about it, I could really use another employee here during the week," said Ueda-san.

"Once my college entrance exams are over, I would definitely like to come back and work here!" Hideki exclaimed. "Right now, cram school has become my first priority."

"It would be fantastic to have you back, but school is much more important for someone your age. Drop by again sometime if you'd like, and let me know when you'll have time to start here again once you're ready."

"Of course! I always love coming in here. First of all, it smells heavenly, and second, I always enjoy talking to you. I don't usually have time to socialize anymore. Luckily, after next week, cram school is over. Two weeks from now is when all my testing will take place," said Hideki.

"That's coming up, so good luck to you! I'm sure you'll do just fine. You're a hard worker, and very bright," said Ueda-san, encouragingly.

"Thank you," Hideki replied. "I just hope I pass them. The exams are becoming more and more rigorous each year, as far as I know. See you soon," the boy said, as he started towards the door.

"Wait, before you go, I have to give you something for your time helping me out just now," said Ueda-san, presenting Hideki with some money.

"Please don't- I was just doing it as a favor, you don't need to pay me," Hideki insisted.

"Well, I have to give you something for your time. I can't just let you leave empty-handed; work is work!" Said Ueda-san, putting a few handfuls of shortbread cookies into a box. "This is about all that's left! I'm going to have to come in early tomorrow and get baking, because pretty much everything has sold out," he continued, as he handed the box to Hideki. "At least have these."

"Thank you for the cookies. I can't argue when it comes to sweets," said Hideki, happily. "See you!" He called, as he left the bakery.

-Please R&amp;R- ;D


	2. Chapter 2

It was starting to get a little darker out, and all the street lamps were lit up. It was indeed quite a beautiful city when nightfall came.

Hideki sighed, as he sat down to take off his shoes in his apartment.

"That was a long day. My feet are killing me," he said to himself, as he rubbed the arch of his foot.

When Hideki realized he had gotten sweaty from working in the patisserie, he went into the bathroom to take a shower. He turned on the water, let it run for a minute, and undressed. Although Hideki didn't particularly enjoy looking at himself in the mirror, he did it anyways. There wasn't much that came to his mind. All that mattered to him was looking somewhat physically fit.

As steam began rising over the shower curtain, Hideki got in, feeling his muscles begin to relax, as the hot water hit his nicely toned body. He let his thoughts freely wander; eventually settling on the topic of going back to work at Chiroru.

As the boy closed his eyes, he pictured the bakery, the delicious pastries, the friendly customers, and of course, Ueda-san. Hideki felt comfortable working there, and he knew he would always be in good company.

Reaching for a lightly colored bottle, Hideki remembered his, rather secretive, favorite almond scented shampoo. Whenever he was in the store buying it, he went right through the cosmetics section, where lots of women trying out different products shopped. Hideki always made it a point to move swiftly through there; simply to grab his favorite shampoo, and then get out as quickly as possible. For him, it was really embarrassing to be seen shopping in the women's health and beauty section.

However, the slight embarrassment in the store became well worth it when opening that bottle. Hideki popped the lid off, and let the heavenly amaretto essence fill the steamy air. He poured some into his hands and ran it through his hair, causing it to foam up. Everything smelled so wonderful after that, as Hideki watched the rest of the soap run down his legs. If it weren't for the water bill, he would have stayed in the shower for hours. After he dried himself off, Hideki softly drifted off to sleep in his comfortable, cloud-like bed.

Awakening bright and early the next morning, Hideki had to get ready for cram school. His aim was to buckle down and get through the last stretch of days of class he had left before taking the entrance exams, so he had to maintain a good sense of self-discipline.

When he arrived at school, there was a notice taped to the inside of the door. It read: "All scheduled classes are canceled today due to an urgent faculty budget meeting."

Since Hideki was the only one in the class without a computer, he hadn't been able to recieve the email notification that informed everyone about the cancellation of class on short notice.

"Well, I guess I'm off the hook, at least for the day. It'll be nice having a day off," said Hideki, starting back in the direction towards his apartment building.

"I wonder if Ueda-san is open this early," he said, as he was passing by Chiroru.

Hideki looked in the window. The door was locked, but Ueda-san was inside baking. When he heard Hideki knock, he looked out from the kitchen doors and saw the boy standing there.

"Hey, Hideki! What brings you here this morning?" Ueda-san said, letting the boy in.

"School was canceled for some reason, and I walked all the way there without even knowing! So I figured I'd stop by again if you were here. I didn't mean to interrupt your work; I know you've got a lot to do," said Hideki, politely.

"Actually, I'm nearly finished baking this morning. I've been here for two hours already. There's just one more batch of sponge cake in the oven that I'm waiting for. It's for a tiramisu that a customer ordered for pick-up this afternoon," said Ueda-san.

"How do you make all these delicious creations?" Asked Hideki. "It's a really amazing talent."

"I went to culinary school years ago, before I opened the patisserie, and I ended up focusing my training on baking towards the end. For some reason, I get a lot of enjoyment out of it. I treat baking as though it's an art form. The presentation is always equally important to the taste; otherwise, it doesn't appeal to the eye as much," said Ueda-san. "I'm glad you have an appreciation for my passion. When others eat together, it feels good to know that there is still some time that people a lot for face-to-face conversation. You know? At least, that's what I get out of it. You'll have to excuse me for giving you that sudden mouthful."

"Wow. I've never really thought of it in that way before, but you're right. Sharing quality time with friends and family in this day and age is becoming less and less frequent, due to all the other quick and easy methods of communicating with one another. I can't afford a computer or a cell phone, so I can't relate to the rest of the students my age," said Hideki. "In that respect, I suppose it's a good thing; at least I haven't lost the ability to hold a conversation. Otherwise, the two of us wouldn't be having this talk right now," he continued. "I meant to ask… How long have you owned Chiroru?"

R &amp; R! ;D


	3. Chapter 3

*This chapter is dedicated to Hylianshadow86 because of the lovely story he wrote for me!* Go check out his stories! If you like this pairing, he has written the only other Ueda and Hideki story on the site that exists!

...

"I opened almost ten years ago, when I had just established my career as a pastry chef. It's hard to believe how rapidly time passes by. I'm turning thirty-nine at the end of the year!" Responded Ueda-san.

"Wait, seriously? I honestly thought you were maybe twenty-five at the most! I didn't know you were in business for that long, either," said Hideki, in great surprise.

"Oh, it looks like it's time to take out the cake," said Ueda-san, glancing up at the clock on the wall. You can come in the back if you'd like, unless you've got places to be and people to see," he continued, as he went into the kitchen, followed by Hideki.

There were wracks of cooling pies, cakes, and all sorts of other delicious desserts waiting for Ueda-san to put out for the day.

"You're welcome to try something. I'd like to know what you think," said Ueda-san, motioning to Hideki to taste his fresh pastries.

Since his stomach had been growling all morning, Hideki took a big croissant off the wire baking wrack, and started eating it right away. "Wow! This tastes amazing," exclaimed the boy.

"Thanks," said Ueda-san, smiling. "I've been trying to perfect my croissants for years."

"Ueda-san, do you ever take a day off every now and again? Every time I see you, you're in here either baking or waiting on customers," asked Hideki.

"Come to think of it, I almost never do. On holidays I sometimes close the shop, but I usually have to come in and prep for the next day, anyways," replied Ueda-san. "Why do you ask?"

"I don't mean to be rude by asking you a personal question, but have you ever been married?" Hideki asked, blushing slightly. "I'm sorry, I probably should have thought that question out a little more carefully before I decided to ask you," he said.

"No, don't be sorry. I actually was married once. It was only for a year, but our relationship just didn't work out," answered Ueda-san, shaking his head back and forth slightly.

"I'm sorry for even bringing it up. It's just that I know how much time you spend here at Chiroru; it made me wonder if you had someone special to share your life with," said the boy.

"Unfortunately, no I don't, and it's been five years since my ex-wife and I got divorced. It wasn't a violent breakup by any means, or even a really painful one. I knew first, and then we both knew that our relationship simply wasn't going to work. After that, I dived heavily into my work, here at the patisserie. I used to only do private catering by appointment, but after the divorce, I opened up as a full time bakery," said Ueda-san.

"Well, as far as I know, having a divorce isn't ever easy. Even if the emotional aspect of it were nonchalant and mutual, it is still a huge change in a person's life; I would imagine. Your bakery became your coping mechanism, and I think that's wonderful. The only thing I suggest that you do is consider taking time off every once in a while, just so you don't exhaust yourself," the boy suggested. "Oh, I didn't even realize that I'm lecturing you, Ueda-san. Again, I must not have been thinking before I spoke," said Hideki, apologetically.

"It's alright, Hideki. For some reason, it feels good talking to you about this. It's nice to have an outside listener every once in a while. It helps to clear my mind and regroup when too much builds up inside. Thank you for bringing up the subject, even though you didn't know its significance," said Ueda-san.

"I honestly didn't know, but if you ever need to get something off your chest, I'm all ears," Hideki said, smiling.

"You're a great kid, Hideki. I hope you realize that there aren't a whole lot of genuinely caring, responsible people like yourself, out there," said Ueda-san, with sincerity.

"There is no need for you to say such flattering-"

"But I mean it. I would never say something that I don't truly believe, especially to you," said Ueda-san, interrupting Hideki, as he looked directly into his deep, comforting eyes; almost as if he was becoming lost in them.

Hideki really didn't know what to say, or how to react at all. His face turned a little bit red, as he opened his mouth to speak. "I should probably get going now. Since I don't have class, I need to use the rest of my time off to get some grocery shopping and studying done this afternoon."

"Alright, and I've got to open up the shop, but thanks for stopping by again. It's always a pleasure," said Ueda-san.

"Catch you later," said Hideki, as he walked out of the patisserie.

R &amp; R! :D


	4. Chapter 4

(A/N): Here is chapter four! It is a little bit "lemon-scented..."

It was only nine a.m., but the sidewalks were already packed with crowds of people going about their daily routines. Hideki was thinking about how he left off his conversation with Ueda-san.

_That felt so awkward for some reason. I don't know why, but I just started getting nervous. Ueda-san seemed so serious; it really caught me off guard, if that's what it was. _

_When I think of Ueda-san, I picture a strong, tall, confident person. I can't put my finger on what exactly it is about Ueda-san, but he's different. Somehow, I get a good feeling about that. Come to think of it, I don't even know why I'm thinking so much about him. I know that he and I just had a rather tense conversation, but it's stressing me out._

When Hideki got back to his apartment, he was starting to feel a little bit horny. He put his backpack down next to the door, and took his shoes off. Then, the hormonal teenager went into his bedroom and stripped down to his underwear, feeling his cock start to grow as he stuck one hand down his pants and wrapped it around his average-sized penis. At this point, Hideki couldn't help but think of Ueda-san. No matter how hard he tried not to think of him in a sexual way, it simply wasn't going to work. If anything, the boy knew he thought his boss was attractive, and was pleasuring himself over the fantasizing thought of what Ueda's body looked like under his white uniform and apron. Clearly, Ueda-san was tall, muscular, and devilishly handsome.

Hideki determined that from just looking at the man. Just thinking about that made Hideki hard.

"Mmm," Hideki moaned, as he pulled his underwear off completely, beginning to pump his fully erect manhood.

_I'll bet Ueda-san's dick would feel amazing inside me. It's probably pretty big, too. I wonder how he'd taste..._

As Hideki continued thinking dirty thoughts about his boss, he could feel himself getting closer and closer to his climax. The aroused boy's pre-cum was already starting to wet the tip of his member.

Hideki pumped harder, thrusting himself into his hand a few more times before he was ready to cum.

"Nyggh!" Hideki grunted, as he released his hot seed, dirtying the sheets on his bed.

This time, thinking about Ueda-san, Hideki noticed how there was much more in him than he had thought.

Coming down from the height of the pleasure, Hideki collapsed on his bed to catch his breath.

After that, he threw his bedclothes in the wash, and got in the shower. As usual, he opened up the bottle of amaretto shampoo, and smelled it. Hideki poured some into his hands, and then lathered it all over his body.

"Ahh," he sighed, taking a deep breath. After thinking about his boss in such an immodest fashion, Hideki felt a little bit let down.

_I probably shouldn't_ _be thinking these steamy thoughts about a thirty-eight year old. He's just so cute though! How am I supposed to ignore that? _

R &amp; R! ;D


	5. Chapter 5

(A/N): I have finally organized myself enough to get this chapter all fixed up and posted. Enjoy chapter five!

After Hideki got cleaned up, he studied for a couple of hours, and then went out to go to the supermarket. Since he didn't have a lot of money, Hideki always bought what was on sale. This time, it happened to be chicken.

_This looks really good, thought the boy_.

Hideki then checked out, and started heading back towards his apartment.

When he got there, Miss Hibiya, the owner of the building, was pacing outside her door. She had long, dark hair that almost reached down past her back. She was probably in her thirties, already a widow. She never talked about her husband. The only thing that anyone knew about him was that he'd passed away fairly recently. Other than the air of mystery that shrouded Miss Hibiya, she was one of the nicest people that Hideki had ever met.

"Hello, Miss Hibiya," said Hideki. "Did you misplace something?"

"Good afternoon, Hideki," she said in response. "Actually, I did lose something. I seem to have misplaced my key. I have my car keys, but the one to my apartment is missing."

"I'll help you look for it," the teen said, putting his shopping bag down.

"Thank you very much, Hideki. I appreciate it. I parked my car on the other side of the building, so the key would most likely be somewhere between here and there, although I've been searching for almost a half an hour already, and haven't been able to find anything. Two sets of eyes are better than one, though."

Miss Hibiya continued searching around her corridor; down on her hands and knees, while Hideki made his way over to where her car was parked.

_ Where could a key possibly have fallen_? Thought the boy.

The pathway was made of cement, and was riddled with cracks. Hideki got down on all fours and looked under railings, in between crevices, and anywhere in his capability of perception.

Several minutes passed, and neither of the two had come up with anything, except discarded coins and scraps of miscellaneous trash. The last place Hideki thought to check was under the car. Unfortunately, the key was not there either.

The boy suddenly got an idea, so he went into his own apartment, climbed out onto the balcony, and then thought for a moment, as he gauged the distance he'd have to jump in order to land on Miss Hibiya's balcony.

He got a running start, then jumping as far as he could. Hideki cleared the metal railings on his landlady's veranda by just a hair.

"Made it," panted Hideki, feeling his heart beating like he'd just ran a marathon.

Then, he opened the sliding glass door, went through Miss Hibiya's spotless, beautiful, home, and then unlocked the front door. The landlady was still looking for her key, as she saw Hideki step out of her doorway.

"How did you do that?" The woman exclaimed, in delight. "Thank you Hideki!" She continued to cheer.

"It was no trouble. I had to jump over a couple of balconies, but after that, it was as easy as opening a door. Neither of us found the key, so I hope you've got a spare inside," said Hideki.

"Yes, I have one," she said. "I must do something to thank you. How about staying for dinner?" Miss Hibiya asked.

"You don't need to thank me. Just letting me live here for a student discount is more than enough," said Hideki.

"Please, I insist. It's really no trouble," she pleaded.

"Alright, it's a deal," Hideki said, smiling. "Let me go put my groceries away, and I'll be right back."

After he put his chicken in the fridge, Hideki thought,

_ I guess this means I can save this for tomorrow night, then. That's one less meal I'll have to scrounge for!_

Over at Hibiya's place, Hideki asked,

"Do you need any help cooking?"

Miss Hibiya was making a stir-fry for their dinner. All the ingredients were fresh, and Hideki was already starting to salivate.

"I think everything's under control, but thanks for offering. You're so polite, Hideki. Do you have all the pretty girls flocking around you at school?" Miss Hibiya teased.

Letting out a stifled sigh, Hideki said: "Not really. I don't have a girlfriend."

"Is that so? Do you have a crush on anyone? Please forgive me if I'm prying too much. I'm a bit of a romantic," she said, blushing.

Hideki sat in silence for a moment before answering. He began to feel like he was going to cry.

"I think I do, but I'm starting to realize that I'm a rock caught in a hard place," he answered.

"Everybody's got problems with love when they're young, Hideki. You'll make a girl very happy someday when you find her," said Miss Hibiya, trying to comfort the boy.

After hearing those words, Hideki could feel himself having to hold back tears. He couldn't pretend to ignore what he'd just heard. It felt like such a slap in the face. He couldn't pretend to look like he was okay, either.

"Hideki? Are you alright? I'm sorry if I said anything that upset you. I can see you're in pain. What's the matter?"

Trying to compose himself as best as he could, Hideki said:

"Miss Hibiya, you don't seem to understand a crucial point in relation to my situation. I'm going to tell you the truth, but please don't say anything harsh."

The looks on both of their faces became very grave, as Hideki began to open up.

"I'm not crushing on a _girl_," Hideki said, slowly letting the tears run down his cheeks.

"Oh, Hideki! I'm so sorry. I-I-I didn't mean for any of what I said to-"

"It's alright. You had no idea I was dealing with this. I wasn't really sure at first, when I had originally began working at Chiroru, but over time, I just couldn't deny the fact that I was suppressing feelings for my boss, Ueda-san. I know I have feelings for him, and I know he's a man, and a lot older than me, but none of that matters when I think about the soft warmth in my heart that I feel towards him."

Miss Hibiya didn't know what to say, at first, but she turned off the stove and went right up to Hideki, who was crying again, and pulled him into a caring embrace.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, Hibiya said:

"Hideki, you're very strong. Not everyone has the strength to bear such deep emotion, especially at your age. It must hurt a great deal to have to hold in your feelings."

"I'm going to tell him how I feel, eventually. I just don't know how to. And, most of all, how is he going to react? I wish I had the power to at least know whether or not he would take it well. I don't even know if he is into guys. I don't even know _that_."

"Does he suspect how you feel towards him?" Asked Miss Hibiya.

"I doubt it. And to be honest, I've never gotten this upset about it before. I don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to hide my feelings from Ueda-san for. Every time I talk to him, I get so tense, it feels like I'm going to be crushed by the weight of the air surrounding me."

R &amp; R ! :D


	6. Chapter 6

After that, Hideki couldn't remember any of the rest of his conversation with Miss Hibiya. The only sense of accomplishment he felt from confiding in her was the fact that he was able to vocalize at least some of his pain. Getting it off his chest didn't make him feel any better, but it did put his hardship into words; something he'd never really been able to do before.

The next morning, as Hideki was getting ready for school, he noticed a white envelope at the foot of his front door. It was a note from Miss Hibiya.

_Dear Hideki, _

_I know that I'm only your landlady, but please don't hesitate to reach out to me if you're having a rough time. I don't have any children of my own; however, I know for sure that if you were my own, I wouldn't want to see you suffering. Even though you're not, I still don't want you to have to be in so much distraught. You've got enough on your plate with school to be worried about. Adding acceptance of your sexuality to the mix doesn't make things any easier for you. _

_I just wanted to let you know that I can be someone you can come to when you need support. Helping people I care about, especially if their intentions are as honest and sincere as yours, I believe is something amazing; almost a like a calling to me, perhaps. _

_-Miss Hibiya_

As Hideki finished reading the letter, he felt as if humanity had the potential to be so much greater. If only there were more people that were in touch with the ability to truly care for others, or simply think of others instead of themselves. He went over to her apartment to thank her, but she wasn't home.

On his way back from school, Hideki stopped to buy a bouquet of flowers for Miss Hibiya as thanks. He didn't have time to go into Chiroru, like he often did, but he walked past, waving to Ueda-san who was behind the counter.

Ueda-san noticed that Hideki held a bouquet of pink flowers.

_I wonder who he's giving those to…_He thought.

Hideki left the flowers in a plastic vase on a windowsill outside Miss Hibiya's door, because she was still out.

Meanwhile, Ueda-san was getting ready to close up the shop for the day. He turned the sign from "open" to "closed," and then finished wiping down the counters and sweeping the floor.

When everything was in its place in preparation for the next day, Ueda-san was finally able to change out of his uniform and into a pair of light jeans and a pullover. He stepped into the cool evening air, and locked the door.

Looking into a window box full of carnations in bloom as he was walking to the parking garage where he kept his car, Ueda-san remembered when Hideki had walked by earlier, holding the bouquet.

As Ueda-san was driving home, he hit a pothole. His tire went flat after feeling the car suddenly jolt to the left side of the street. Luckily, no one was in the oncoming lane. The car drifted up onto the grass on the side of the road, and that was the best the man could do to get the car out of traffic's way. He looked around trying to find his cell phone but it was dead. He got a flashlight out of the glove box and walked around the car making sure there wasn't any damage. The spare tire was missing from the car, so Ueda-san couldn't change it himself.

It was dark now, and Miss Hibiya was pulling into the apartment complex, as she noticed a stranded car across the street. Ueda-san noticed her, and walked across the street to ask if he could borrow her phone.

"Excuse me, miss. My tire just went flat. May I borrow your phone?" Asked Ueda-san, politely.

"Of course, please come in. The phone is right over here," she said, directing the man to the phone on the table in the hallway.

As he entered the building, he walked past the vase of pink flowers on Miss Hibiya's windowsill, immediately recognizing them.

"Thank you so much," he said, picking up the phone to call a tow truck.

When he'd finished giving the man on the other line the directions to come pick up his car, Ueda-san asked the kind woman:

"May I ask where the flowers came from, miss?"

"Oh, I didn't even notice them!" She replied, as she went over and brought the vase inside, reading the small note attached to it that read:

"Thank you, Miss H."

"Ah. They're from one of my tenants. A boy named Hideki. Why do you ask?"

"So I was right," Ueda-san said. "Hideki works at my patisserie, and I saw him walk by with the flowers earlier this afternoon. I didn't know he lived so close by."

"Hideki had mentioned he had a job at a bakery before, but I didn't know which one he meant. My name is Chitose Hibiya, by the way. I'm Hideki's landlady."

"Oh, please excuse me for not introducing myself! I'm Hiroyasu Ueda, owner of Chiroru Patisserie, and its great to meet you."

Hearing his name, a sudden chill ran down Miss Hibiya's spine when she realized that the handsome man standing before her was exactly who Hideki had an enormous crush on.

"It's-it's nice to meet you too," said Hibiya, slightly nervously.

Hideki opened his door and stepped out of his apartment because he was trying to debate whether or not he was hearing familiar voices coming from Miss Hibiya's. He peaked in the window and saw Ueda-san talking to Miss Hibiya.

His heart immediately sank in his chest, confused about what he'd just saw. Even though the two of them were just talking, Hideki couldn't help but think of the possibilities, since both Miss Hibiya and Ueda-san seemed to be single.

_How could this be,_ Hideki thought, as he sank to the ground, staring up into the cold, dark sky.

R &amp; R :D


	7. Chapter 7

Just the sight of Ueda-san with someone else made Hideki feel as if he were being slowly tortured, prolonging his agony. Every single short second he had seen them standing together in Miss Hibiya's apartment was the cause of a much further and longer pain than it had to be. Hideki didn't even have the will to move, so he sat motionless outside in the dark.

Within a few minutes, a tow truck with flashing orange lights pulled up to the car parked across the street. Ueda-san stepped outside, not even noticing Hideki who was sitting just a few feet away, and met the truck driver.

Hideki was so confused that he gave up trying to figure out what was going on. He managed to get up and go inside, but couldn't even handle being conscious for a moment longer, so he fell face down onto his bed and passed out fully dressed.

In the next unit over, Miss Hibiya was contemplating the unexpected visit she received from Hideki's secret crush. She didn't know whether or not to tell Hideki that she'd met him.

_I wonder if Hideki is still awake. I'd better just check, just in case,_ thought the landlady.

Miss Hibiya went outside and noticed that the boy's light was still on. She knocked on the door, but didn't hear a response. Hideki wasn't generally one to leave lights on when he was out, so the woman proceeded to open the unlocked door, calling:

"Anybody home? Hideki?"

Miss Hibiya was starting to get worried, as she continued walking through Hideki's apartment. She turned the corner and saw Hideki. She gasped and ran over to him.

Her first thought was: _Oh my gosh is he_ _dead!?_

She touched his neck and it felt warm, as she felt his pulse.

_Thank God, _Miss Hibiya sighed, as she sat there next to him, not knowing what to do._  
_

Hideki's shoes were still on, so she took them off and put them next to his bed. Then, she took a blanket from a shelf across the room and spread it over the sleeping boy. It was apparent that Hideki wasn't well. His face wasn't that of a peacefully sleeping person. He looked lifeless, which was part of the reason why Miss Hibiya thought he was dead; the way he was laying there, it seemed unnatural.

Since she was so concerned about her tenant, Miss Hibiya stayed there next to him until the morning. She'd fallen asleep on a chair she'd moved into the bedroom from the kitchen.

As Hideki opened his eyes early the next morning, he saw her resting, and was again, stricken with more confusion. He was silent.

Miss Hibiya heard Hideki begin to stir, since she had been sleeping fairly lightly that night, and got up, moving her chair over to the teen's bedside.

"Hideki, I apologize for coming in unannounced, but I felt like I should tell you something."

After seeing what he saw the previous night, Hideki had a good feeling about what Miss Hibiya was going to say. He shut his eyes and laid back onto his pillows, sighing.

"What was Ueda-san doing here last night?" He asked, bluntly, with a hopeless expression stricken across his pallid face.

"That's what I was going to tell you about. He's not dating me. Take a deep breath. I had a hunch that you'd have found out that he came by, somehow. I didn't know he was your boss at first," replied Miss Hibiya, softly. "I was just getting home, when a car pulled over to the side of the road across the street. Ueda-san who I'd never met before, came over to ask to borrow my phone. So, I let him wait inside until the tow truck came to pick up his car to bring it to a place the flat tire could be fixed."

As Miss Hibiya explained what had happened, Hideki sat up, and the color was returning to his face.

"Is that really true!?" Exclaimed the boy.

"Yes," Miss Hibiya smiled. "And he noticed the flowers you'd brought me. Thank you for those, by the way. He asked me where I got them, like he recognized them, and then I told him they were from you. I told him that you live here, and he told me about how you work for him. He was so polite and nice, Hideki. I can see why you're attracted to him."

"Miss Hibiya, you're the best!" Hideki said, lively, giving her a hug.

(A/N): Please R &amp; R ~Things are looking up for our characters… but will it last? Read more to find out!~


	8. Chapter 8

It was Friday morning, and Miss Hibiya had just left, now that she was more comfortable knowing that Hideki was alright.

The teen still had school, but this was his final day of classes before testing. Starting Monday, it was exam week.

As he was walking to school, Hideki thought of how quickly time had crept up on him, and how he had hopes of finally being able to get into college.

_After these tests are over, I'll have the rest of spring and summer off, so I can work at Chiroru, provided I score sufficiently enough to pass, _thought the boy, as he reached his destination.

His teacher, Ms Shimizu, always provided her students with ample amounts of material to study from in order to succeed. She was young, and many often mistook her for a student, herself. The only thing that physically differed her from her students was her attire. She always dressed in a woman's business suit, with a jacket and a skirt, with a pair of high heels. She kept her straight brown hair fairly short, which also seemed to give her a more mature look. Other than that, she didn't look a day older than twenty at most.

"Good luck to all of you on your exams next week! I have confidence that you'll all do fine. Those of you that may have slacked a little too much; you know who you are." Said Ms Shimizu, as she glanced at the faces in the classroom. "For those of you who have done your best work during the past several months, I don't want you to push yourself studying over the weekend. It can wear you out if you over think the material. Just relax, eat well, and go to bed at a decent time," said Ms Shimizu, closing her last lecture of the day.

When the bell rang, Hideki got up and threw his backpack over his shoulder. He thanked his teacher before leaving the room.

"I wanted to thank you for all the work you've put into teaching the class and I. I hope I do well on my tests. I know I've never gotten great grades, but they've started to improve at least a little bit after studying all the fact sheets you gave us," said Hideki, respectfully.

"You are one of the hardest working students I've had, Hideki. Just the fact that you're not absorbed into the teenage party lifestyle that the majority of people your age partake in, tells me that you're really a great young man. I hope you realize that," said Ms Shimizu. "Good luck, Hideki."

Hideki bowed his head in thanks, and then took his leave.

_That's the third adult to tell me how "good" I am. First it was Ueda-san, then Ms Hibiya, and then Miss Shimizu. I must be doing something right, but somehow I've never managed to have a girlfriend, not that I'd want one, but still. I've never been interested in anyone in particular, except for Ueda-san, and he's a man, _thought Hideki, as he walked.

It was the afternoon now, and since he hadn't been able to stop into Chiroru the previous day, he decided to pay Ueda-san a visit.

The sidewalks were getting crowded, as it was a Friday, and most people were getting out of school and work. Chiroru was surprisingly not jam-packed full of people like it usually was by this time of day.

When Hideki walked in, there were a few customers browsing, while waiting to he helped, but it was nothing in comparison to the massive sea of people that were there the day when even Ueda-san and Hideki together, could hardly keep up.

When everyone cleared out, Hideki and Ueda-san sat down behind the counter.

"I have an interesting little story to tell you," said Ueda-san, receiving a nod from Hideki.

"I ran into your landlady yesterday on my way home. My tire went flat, and she was the only person around, so I asked her if I could borrow her phone. I didn't know she was your landlady until she told me that you were the one who brought her the flowers that were outside her door," said Ueda-san.

Still slightly uneasy on the subject, Hideki said, "It's a small world, isn't it?"

"It certainly can be. Actually, what I never realized, was that you live on your own, don't you?" Asked Ueda-san.

"Yes. I know I'm fairly young to be completely independent, but since I wanted to start my life by getting an education, I had to move to the city," responded Hideki, lightly blushing.

Ueda-san didn't ask anything else, because he didn't know what else to say.

A customer walked in, breaking the silence that fell over the conversation that Ueda-san and Hideki were having.

It was Miss Hibiya.

"Hello boys," she smiled. "I figured it was about time I tried this bakery."

"Good afternoon, Miss Hibiya," said Hideki.

"It's nice to see you again, Miss," said Ueda-san.

"Did you manage to get your car fixed?" Miss Hibiya asked.

"Yes. It was done this morning, so I picked it up right before coming to work. Thank you again for letting me borrow your phone. As my way of saying thanks, you can pick out anything you'd like from these cases," said the baker.

"Oh, thank you! There are so many pastries to choose from," exclaimed Miss Hibiya, beginning to look through the glass, as a chiffon cake caught her eye.

Hideki was sitting closer to it, so he reached into the display case with a piece of wax paper, and placed the cake in a box.

"Here you go," said Hideki, as he handed the cake to his landlady.

"Thank you both so much," said the cheerful woman. "I'll be sure to let you know how delicious it was after I try it later."

Miss Hibiya made her way to the door and said, "Bye, and thanks again!" As Hideki and Ueda-san waved to her.

"I guess I should get going too, but it was great talking to you, Ueda-san!" Said Hideki, happily.

"Stop by anytime, I'm always here," replied Ueda-san, as he walked with Hideki to the door.

"Have a good rest of your night," said Hideki.

"You too, Hideki," said his boss, giving him a pat on the back.

Hideki walked past the rest of the shops on that side of the street, remembering how nice it felt when Ueda-san touched him. Then he crossed to go to the corner bookstore, closer to his apartment. He wanted to pick up something to read for the weekend.

Inside, there were a group of guys from the cram school. Most of them were huddled around one section of the store.

At first, he wanted to know what their fascination was about, but he quickly put two and two together, realizing that all they were doing was looking at porno magazines filled with naked women from cover to cover.

Hideki sighed, and left the bookstore after not being able to find anything that even remotely peaked his interest.

R &amp; R please!


	9. Chapter 9

After closing Chiroru for the evening, Ueda-san went home. He was tired from the week, as usual. He took a deep breath when he sat down on his couch. The only thing he ever did was work.

Ueda-san didn't even turn on the TV. The baker sat there, thinking. Glancing up at the clock, it was only six thirty.

The apartment was very spacious. It was fairly clean as well. He'd worked his way up to having the nicest place he could afford. Since Chiroru did so well with reeling in big profits for Ueda-san, he was able to live quite comfortably on his own.

There were two bedrooms, two full baths, one of which he didn't even need, an office where he managed the business aspect of the patisserie, a grand room with a spacious kitchen for cooking and baking, a dining area with a large wooden table, and a living area. There were skylights in most of the rooms as well.

Outside, there was a large balcony with a view of the entire city. Ueda-san had the top floor.

He got up and went out onto the balcony, leaning against the metal railing, watching the sun go down. The sky turned from orange to pink, and lastly to violet, before it was dark.

By that time, Ueda-san could see the familiar twinkling of the lights from all the buildings at night. He went back inside, and into the bathroom.

There was a full-sized jacuzzi, which he turned on, letting the water fill up. The sound of the running liquid was such a nice change of pace. Instead of all the noise outside, all Ueda-san could hear was the stream of hot water coming out of the faucet.

The tall, well-built man began taking off his clothes. He always changed into plain, casual attire before leaving the bakery, so he had on jeans and a yellow T-shirt.

First, he took off his shirt, revealing his long, muscular torso. Then, he pulled his pants down, exposing very sturdy legs.

Lastly, he took off his underwear. He was wearing tight red shorts that stretched over his manhood creating a pronounced bulge.

As Ueda-san stepped into the steamy water, he relaxed, and leaned back onto one of the slanted sides of the hot tub. He sat there for a few more minutes, getting used to the temperature, before turning on the jets.

Once the water got moving, creating bubbles and little currents, Ueda-san began to awaken his lengthy member.

He touched it gently, running his fingers underneath the shaft, as he then felt it rapidly start to grow, wrapping a strong right hand around it. As the man's thickness hardened in his hand, he started pumping it.

Closing his eyes, Ueda-san moved a little faster. He was enveloped in the heat from both the water and his own ministrations.

All he did was pant and grunt tenderly, making little splashes here and there from the quick, short movements of his arm, allowing his hand to create the tightness and the movements he seemed to be longing for.

Ueda-san continued, thrusting his painfully large erection into his hand, starting to get closer to an intense climax. His breaths got rough as he let out even louder and more forceful throaty noises.

The feeling of water, especially since it was at a high temperature, was inevitably helping to speed up the process. The man was very close now, and he tightened his firm grip around the hardened length, clamping his eyes shut.

With a few final and strong thrusts, Ueda-san met his release. A thick stream of hot semen erupted from the man's penis into the water, as he threw his head back in uttermost ecstasy.

After relaxing a bit more, letting himself come down from his self-stimulated orgasm, Ueda-san got out of the jacuzzi. He noticed that there was still some cum dripping out of his tip, so he licked it off of his finger, tasting himself.

Please R &amp; R!


	10. Chapter 10

When Hideki's dull, uneventful weekend was over, it was officially the start of a long and mentally tiring week.

Monday morning, he got up and picked out his clothes, finding his usual denim and a sweatshirt. He gathered all the testing materials he needed; with his fingers crossed that he didn't forget anything. He had his calculator, pencils, pens, and erasers. The boy left his apartment ten minutes earlier than usual, so he could stop for a coffee before the exam. Although Hideki didn't usually drink caffeinated beverages on a daily basis, he knew it wouldn't be a bad idea to have one before taking what proved to be one of the longest tests of his career as a student.

He was passing Chiroru, when Ueda-san was just arriving for the day. The baker was unlocking the door when he turned his head, noticing the familiar face of his friendly employee.

"Good morning Ueda-san!" Hideki said, immediately perking up at the sight of his favorite man.

"Morning, Hideki," Ueda-san smiled. "You're out early today," he added.

"I have the first of my entrance exams, so I'm going to get a fresh coffee," said Hideki.

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Ueda-san remembered. "Just do your best, and that's all that counts."

"I'm not too worried about it, I just hope I don't fall asleep," the boy joked. "H-hey, do you wanna come get coffee too?" Hideki asked, with a slight quiver of nervousness in his voice. He pointed at the cafe across the street.

"Uh, sure, Why not?" responded Ueda-san, putting his keys back in his pocket.

The two of them went across the street and sat down at a table near a window after ordering their coffee. At first, neither of them had anything pertinent to say, but then a bell rang at the counter, so Ueda-san got up, bringing back both his and Hideki's drinks.

"Oh, thank you," said Hideki, cheerfully, as his handsome boss placed the hot beverage in front of him.

"No problem. Both of ours were ready at the same time," he replied, taking his first sip.

"I got french vanilla," said Hideki. "What did you get in yours?"

"I got a mocha. I'm sometimes not sure what to have, but these always seem to be pretty good," answered Ueda-san.

After a couple of more minutes went by, Hideki looked down at his wristwatch. "I've got to get going now, Ueda-san. It was nice to meet up with you this morning, though!" he added, trying to hide the blush that was forming across his cheeks.

"Good luck, Hideki!" Said Ueda-san, giving his employee an encouraging smile.

"Thanks!" The boy said, turning, as he hustled out the door.

The baker sat there at the window, finishing his coffee. He looked up at the sky, noticing the grey clouds beginning to roll in. Ueda-san took a deep breath when he was finished, and then got up.

At school, Hideki found his seat. Miss Shimizu had placed name cards on each desk in the classroom, so that all the students would be in alphabetical order while taking the first test.

About two hours into the exam, Hideki started thinking about his time with Ueda-san earlier that morning. He knew he had to concentrate on the test that was in front of him, but it was so difficult to. It seemed unimportant. He valued Ueda-san much higher than pretty much everything else he had going on in his life.

School, work, and his apartment, were Hideki's primary focuses, but when he thought of Ueda-san, he went to far beyond those items; a whole new area of thinking and feeling. The boy even knew what it was, but he didn't want to confront his boss about it. He didn't know what to do, because he still had no idea what Ueda-san would think, or how he would react, of course, to confessing his feelings for him.

To Hideki, not knowing what was going on inside Ueda-san's mind was causing him so much internal confusion and pain. He hadn't been able to pick up on anything Ueda-san had said or done that could potentially suggest that he felt the same way for him.

Even though Hideki felt like crying, he couldn't. It was all on the inside. The thoughts he had about his boss were just as tension-filled as his conversations with him in real life.

Realizing he'd let his attention stray from the exam for too long, Hideki resumed his intent concentration, so that he could score as best he could.

When the test was finally over, everyone in the class got up and was stretching their arms and legs after sitting for so many hours. Hideki looked out the window, as the sky was now filled with dark storm clouds.

"Thank you all for your patience and cooperation," Miss Shimizu announced. "Make sure to get home safely. The forecast says it's supposed to get very windy, and the rain might not stop until midday tomorrow. I'll see you in the morning," she said, as the students were packing up to leave.

It started raining as Hideki was walking home.

(A/N): Thank you so much to Hylianshadow86 and KikkyChan for the support and encouragement you've given me throughout this story.


	11. Chapter 11

The sky got darker as the storm started to pick up. Hideki's feet were getting wet, and he didn't even have an umbrella.

As much as he didn't want to inconvenience Ueda-san from work, he darted into Chiroru, soaked through to the bone. Ueda-san saw Hideki, and then found him a towel as fast as he could.

"Man, you're drenched!" Said Ueda-san, handing the boy a cloth to dry his face with.

"Thanks," responded Hideki. "I got caught in the rain as soon as I started my walk home. Again, I'm sorry to bother y-"

"No, don't worry about it, Hideki. I'm glad you stopped here; look at it out there!"

By now, it was down pouring, and the streets were becoming channels for the buildup of water.

"I don't want you to catch a cold. I have a clean change of clothes in the back, so you're welcome to borrow them," offered Ueda-san.

Hideki turned red at the baker's kind gesture, he directed him to a space near the back door in the kitchen.

"Uh, sure. Thank you, Ueda-san," said the slightly embarrassed boy.

When Hideki was finished changing out of his dripping wet clothes and into Ueda-san's, he came back out of the kitchen.

The baker shyly chuckled as he noticed that the slightly smaller boy had cuffed up the bottoms of his pant legs, and rolled up the long, loose sleeves of the shirt.

"I didn't realize how big they'd be on you," said Ueda-san, who still appeared to be amused by the sight.

"At least I'm not soaking wet now," said Hideki. "I've never heard you laugh before," he added, introducing a new thought.

"Please forgive me if I offended you, but I just couldn't help it," replied Ueda-san.

"No, it was good to hear you laugh! You should do more of it," said Hideki, starting to smile warmly.

"You should try doing it more often too," Ueda-san reminded him. "How was your exam today, by the way?"

"Oh, it wasn't quite as difficult as I'd originally thought it was going to be, but I have such a hard time focusing. Its not easy to chase away all the day dreams I have, whether they're good or bad," answered Hideki.

"Ah, I see," said Ueda-san, thinking. "Can't keep all those pretty girls out of your head, can you?"

Hideki didn't know what to say, as his facial expression sank slightly.

"What's the matter, Hideki?" Ueda-san asked.

"Nothing. I-I was just wondering how long this rain is going to keep coming down for," said Hideki, glancing towards the window.

"Oh yeah, don't you need to get home at some point?" Asked the baker.

"Yes, I'm hoping the rain will let up so I can walk. Otherwise I'll just have to get soaking wet again," Hideki answered.

"If you wait a few minutes, I can give you a ride home if you'd like. I just have to clean everything up and close the store," suggested Ueda-san.

"You already lent me your clothes; you don't have to drive me-"

"Hideki, its no trouble at all, as long as I don't get anymore flat tires," Ueda-san joked.

"Alright, thank you," said Hideki, appreciatively.

Ueda-san and Hideki started tidying up the patisserie and putting everything away for the evening. The boy tried to lift a heavy pile of metal baking pans, not realizing how difficult it would be for him.

"Careful," Ueda-san said, taking half of the stack from Hideki, who was struggling with the weight.

"Whew, thanks," Hideki said, taking a breath.

When they were all done, Ueda-san grabbed his umbrella, and opened the door to put it up.

"Can you make sure that's locked?" The pastry chef said, handing Hideki the keys.

Hideki took the keys and shut the door, hearing the click of the lock as he turned the key. Then, Ueda-san gently motioned for Hideki to walk under the umbrella with him.

Hideki couldn't help but let his imagination wander happily as he and his handsome boss walked closely together in the rain. At least to him, it felt romantic.

R &amp; R !


	12. Chapter 12

Hideki thanked Ueda-san, before getting out of the car and running through the torrents of rain pouring down on the hard cement. He glanced back once he was under the porch roof, noticing that the baker was already out of sight. The boy clenched his fist tightly against his chest.

_I wish it could just be easier and I could just tell him how I feel, without the weight of the fear of not knowing how he'll react. I just don't know. I want to feel more confident, but Ueda-san and I have never been anything more than co-workers. I don't even know his first name._

The thoughts Hideki was having were simple and clear, but he couldn't physically do anything about them. He was yet to be sure whether or not Ueda-san was even into guys.

When Hideki went inside, he was still dressed in his boss's clothes, so he went into his bedroom to change. He put them in the wash, along with his damp jeans and shirt from before. Since his next exam was scheduled for the following day, he ate some of the leftover chicken for dinner, and then winded down for the evening. It continued to rain heavily until after Hideki had dosed off.

The early rays of sunlight penetrated the blinds of all of the easterly-facing windows of the apartment building. The sky had cleared up, and the scattered patches of grass and gardens surrounding the nearby buildings were all a lush green.

When Hideki woke up, he was glad that the sun was finally out. He opened the large glass door that led out to his small balcony to let in some fresh air. He made himself pancakes and bacon for breakfast, since he responsibly went to bed on time.

After he was done, the boy started his morning constitutional; the walk to school. He passed by Chiroru, planning on returning the clothes that Ueda-san lent him, but he hadn't arrived yet.

_I wonder where Ueda-san is. He's usually here by now, _Hideki thought, as he continued walking.

At school, the students proceeded with the same routine as they had done the previous day. Several hours of sitting at a desk answering various questions that would apparently determine the level of preparedness of Hideki and the rest of his classmates for college. Hideki was having an easier time concentrating unlike the first day, but unfortunately he found the test to be remarkably more difficult.

Every time he felt like his shoulders were tensing up, he was relieved by glancing out the second story window, with a broad view of the bright blue sky. He didn't need more than a glance to remind him that a beautiful afternoon was waiting for him.

When the exam was finally over, Hideki made his way to the door as fast as he could. Once he was outside, he decided to go for a walk.

This time, instead of walking home, Hideki went in the other direction. It led him into one of the busier areas of the city. Out of the several months he'd already been living in the metropolis, the boy had only visited the true downtown area a few times.

There were mobs of people forming around food stands eating ice cream and conversing loudly; standing on long, quickly moving lines. The street wrapped around a big plaza where all the vendors were selling objects such as novelty sunglasses and hats. In the center, there was a beautiful fountain that must've been circulating at least a couple hundred gallons of water. On the wide, bench-like edge running the entire circumference of the fount, couples and families sat there talking, eating lunch, and even making wishes, tossing pennies into the water.

Off to the side slightly, Hideki spotted a young man and a young woman holding each others' hands. They were resting on a small bench in the shade of a tree; to Hideki, creating a vague image that appeared to him as if there was a large umbrella over them. It reminded him of when he and Ueda-san were walking in the rain together. He watched as they smiled at one another; their eyes fixated on nothing else but their own special moment, as they gently kissed.

After a mere few seconds, Hideki had to turn away. He could see how happy they were, and he just couldn't bear the sight.

He wanted to be happy, he wanted to be kissed, he wanted someone to share precious little moments with, but the only person it truly felt right to imagine himself being with was Ueda-san. He knew there were lots of other attractive people in the world, and he could find some if he chose to, but Hideki saw doing that as a waste of his time. He knew what he wanted, but he didn't know whether or not Ueda-san longed for him in the same way. He didn't even have much of an inkling as to what the man thought of him, or if he meant anything more than just a good employee.

Hideki started back in the direction towards Chiroru. Tears were beginning to form in his eyes that he couldn't stop. He just wanted to see Ueda-san. He knew he'd most likely never accomplish anything more than a friendly business relationship when he stopped by the patisserie, but just seeing Ueda-san was Hideki's way of being closer to him.

As the boy approached Chiroru, he'd found his composure. He was ready to break the ice to start a nice conversation with Ueda-san by returning his clothes to him, when just before opening the door, Hideki saw Ueda-san and another man laughing and smiling together in front of the counter. He didn't know what was going on, but he was still too fragile from before to think anything but what first came to his mind. He backed up and ran home, even more confused and upset.

(A/N): Please let me know what you think so far.

-Angelic Land


	13. Chapter 13

(A/N): To my lovely readers, I am very sorry. This chapter took way too long for me to finally get around to finishing, but don't lose hope! The story must go on! I need encouragement so all thoughts and comments are much appreciated.

Ueda-san didn't even notice Hideki at the door. He looked up, thinking he'd heard someone coming in, but the boy was quick on his feet to flee the misunderstood situation.

Hideki couldn't even know for sure that what he saw was anything for him to be concerned about. First of all, Hideki really didn't know for sure if Ueda-san was interested in men, and secondly, he didn't seem like the kind of person who had time for romance in his life.

_But what if he's beginning to find the time? _Hideki panicked, as he arrived at the apartment building.

The boy was out of breath, and devastated by the possible outcomes of where Ueda-san stood.

_Why does this hurt so much? _Thought Hideki, letting his eyes overflow with tears.

He went inside and emptied his backpack, which still held Ueda-san's outfit. The boy made himself a cup of hot tea, and sat down at his small breakfast counter. He was thinking about going to see Miss Hibiya, but he didn't think there was anything she could really do to help him.

_What if Ueda-san really is dating someone else now, _the boy thought. _He said he was divorced, but that doesn't mean he_ _hasn't yet found someone else._

Hideki was starting to get paranoid and by instinctively imagining the worst case scenario, he was doing himself a huge disservice, whether he was aware of it or not. The frantic boy took a sip of tea, trying to calm down to get his heart rate back down to normal.

For the rest of the week, Hideki distracted himself from thinking about Ueda-san by walking a different route to school, and focusing even harder on the last few of his entrance exams. By Friday afternoon, the worn out teenager wanted to collapse from exhaustion.

Letting his guard down due to how tired he was, Hideki hadn't realized he'd forgotten to avoid passing Chiroru on his way home from school. A knot began to form in his stomach, as he turned the corner, and to his surprise, Ueda-san stepped outside. The baker took a breath of fresh air, but then noticed Hideki approaching.

"Hideki! How've you been? I haven't seen you in a few days," Ueda-san exclaimed.

Hideki straightened up, instantly growing nervous, as he tried to plaster a cheerful look on his face.

"Ueda-san, its good to see you," the boy said, his voice trailing off into a whisper towards the end.

He attempted to try, but even Ueda-san was starting to see through his falsely optimistic front. The boy was clearly exhausted, and it was from transferring a lot of energy into focusing on his studies instead of dwelling on his secretive feelings for the older man. Now that cram school was officially over, Hideki was left with mentally confronting the fact that he really was in love with Ueda-san, and no distraction to temporarily divert his attention. He looked physically wiped out.

"Are you alright? Hideki?" Asked the baker, after receiving no response from the sad-eyed boy.

Hideki apologized, and said "I have to go!"

The boy didn't want Ueda-san to see him cry, so he took off down the sidewalk in the other direction at a blurring pace. The man didn't know what to do, and before he could even make a rational decision on what to do, Hideki was already out of hearing distance.

While he was running, Hideki was blinded with heavy tears. All he could feel was the immense internal pressure building within him that not knowing what to do about having such strong; such sure feelings for the baker, his boss, and bearing the weight of the realistic possibility that he wouldn't have reciprocal feelings. Even beyond that, he couldn't imagine what he would do if Ueda-san never wanted to talk to him again after knowing the level of magnitude of what he truly felt for him. Hideki knew he wanted to be involved with Ueda-san romantically, but he couldn't stand the thought of not having him in his life at all, so to at least keep him as a friend, or as his boss, would be better than nothing.

Now, it all depended on what was going on in Ueda-san's head, and how he felt; if he'd even thought of the possibility that Hideki could have such a gravitational crush on him, never mind simply just a light one. The problem was getting to the point of accomplishing whatever it was going to take to get to the right moment, the right time, and the right place, both in which and at which Hideki could finally be able to confess his love to the man, and at least have a better understanding of where he stood in reference to determining how prepared he was to know. It was an agonizing process to go through, and Hideki didn't even know if Ueda-san really was gay or not.

In his trapped, painful state of haste, the boy wasn't thinking about paying attention to where he was going, and tripped over a section of cement that wasn't level with the rest of the pavement. His foot caught the bump, causing the sudden jolt to send him flying forwards several feet. The boy violently hit the ground before he could even put out his arms to brake his fall.

R &amp; R!


	14. Chapter 14

A few moments later, a trickle of blood had begun to form a small red pool around the boy's head. He was laying face-down with his backpack still clinging to his body.

Luckily, someone in a nearby store noticed the accident, and phoned for an ambulance. Ueda-san was inside cleaning as he watched it go by, flashing its lights and sounding the alarm sirens so other drivers in the road would clear a path. The last thing he could have imagined was that it was Hideki who had been injured.

By the time the ambulance reached the boy, a handful of pedestrians had formed a crowd, and someone was trying to get him to wake up.

The emergency medical technicians in the ambulance managed to clean off some of the blood on and around Hideki's head to get an idea of how serious his wounds were. It didn't appear that he'd severely broken any bones. Since no one at the time of the accident actually knew who this boy was, they found his identification through searching his backpack for his wallet.

"Hideki Motosuwa," said one of the EMTs.

She did a quick search on the name, and was able to confirm that he had no known family in the area.

"He's only nineteen, and a student, but it looks like he's living on his own," she added.

When Hideki was finally coming up to the instant of awakening, he opened his eyes and noticed that he was in the emergency room. It was quiet, and he was in an uncomfortable bed near the window. There was no one in the room except for a nurse standing by the door. She turned around, realizing that the boy had woken up.

"Hello there, I'm Noemi."

Hideki smiled weakly, as he begun to realize how much pain he was in.

"Try not to move, if possible. You don't have any broken bones, but you lost a lot of blood."

There were bandages wrapped around his head, his arms, and neck.

"How long have I been out?" Asked Hideki.

"Only for about two hours," the nurse said, looking up at the clock on the wall.

"Who brought me here?"

"I'm not sure. We got an emergency call from a witness and sent the ambulance right away. I don't believe it was anyone you knew. Usually in situations like this, it's a good thing that there are people out there that don't turn their heads and look away when they see someone in danger," said Noemi.

"I don't really know that many people in this city," Hideki said, weakly. "School and work have always kept me very busy," he added.

"Can I get you anything while I'm here?" Asked the woman?

"No thanks," said the injured boy. "Do you have any idea how long I'll be here?"

"Oh, I forgot to tell you. Probably just one night, as long as your closed wounds stay intact by tomorrow afternoon. I wouldn't look at them now, but you've got twelve stitches in your head, five on your neck, and seven on your left arm. We want to keep an eye on you to make sure there isn't any internal bleeding," informed Noemi.

Hideki's eyes widened in surprise. "That many, huh? I didn't realize I'd taken such a heavy fall."

The nurse was filling out more paperwork as she and the boy were talking. "Get some rest, and the doctor will be in to see you in the morning. If you need anything at all, just let me know. That button next to you is what you can use to call one of us."

"Thanks," Hideki said, as his nurse took her leave.

After getting used to his new surroundings, Hideki remembered what he was actually thinking about prior to his fall.

_Ueda-san... I wish you were here with me. There's really nothing else I could ask for as long as I had you with me, _Hideki thought.

Silent tears began running down the lonely boy's cheeks, as he sat there in his hospital bed. _Why does this have to hurt so much? Here I am; stitches in three different parts of my body, and all I feel is the pain in my heart. _

The teenage boy had never felt such clear, true feelings before. He knew what he wanted to have in order to fill the empty void in him, yet he didn't even know where to begin. It felt as if there was absolutely nothing he could do about his feelings, and in truth, there really wasn't.

_I love you, Ueda-san. I wish I knew how to tell you._

Hideki clenched his eyes shut, tears still trying to escape, as he forced himself to sleep.

R &amp; R!


	15. Chapter 15

In the middle of the night, Hideki woke up. He had forgotten he was in the hospital, and it took him a few minutes to adjust to his surroundings. After he became conscious enough to remember what had happened, tears began to run down his face once more. He was in some physical pain, but all he could picture was Ueda-san sitting next to him, holding his hand through all of it. Hideki closed his eyes again and envisioned the baker's warm smile gently shining through to his heart, and became lost yet again in the thought of how warm and fluffy that felt.

Then, remembering that he was only basing his beautiful, happy, romantic, dream-like fantasies off of his imagination, Hideki's thoughts were overcome by reality. He thought about what he didn't have with Ueda-san, and how hard it was to separate his relationship with him as an employer, and his longing for an intimate, loving relationship as a partner. He had one of the two, but felt the other, and it constantly hurt to definitively feel and know how much he loved the man and not even be able to do so much as express that to him.

The boy rolled over, feeling utterly defeated. There was nothing he could do to change the way he felt, and no one was going to alter that. It was just that he felt so strongly towards Ueda-san, that he knew that he was never going to love anyone else in the same strong, true, passionate way for as long as he lived.

When the morning finally arrived, Hideki's eyes were sore from crying. Noemi walked in and asked how he felt.

"Good morning, Hideki. Would you mind telling me how you're feeling today?" The woman asked cheerfully.

The boy sat there for a moment, his eyes fixed on the world going by outside the hospital window.

"Hideki?" She repeated, breaking his trance.

"Oh, good morning," Hideki said. "I'm feeing better than yesterday," he added.

"That's excellent to hear," said the nurse. "Let's get you out of bed and have some breakfast."

Hideki nodded, and carefully sat up. It was the row of stitches on the side of his neck that hurt the most. Noemi gave him a confident smile, and motioned for him to stand.

"I'm alright," the teen reassured her when he was finally on his feet.

He followed the young woman down the hall to the cafeteria, and sat down at a little table.

"What would you like me to get you?" Noemi asked, handing Hideki a card with a list of breakfast items printed on it.

The boy wasn't very hungry, but he figured he should try to eat so he could be discharged as soon as possible. "I'll just have cereal with some milk, please."

She took the card from Hideki, and went up to the line and grabbed a tray. Hideki was glad to at least have such a kind nurse, even though his situation was far from ideal.

"I'm back," said Noemi, noticing that Hideki was looking the other way.

Turning around, Hideki snapped out of his thoughts. "Thank you," he said, as his nurse placed the tray of food in front of him.

"I got you some orange juice too."

"Thank you, Noemi. Do you think I'll be able to go home this afternoon?"

"Probably," she responded. "You just have to be approved by the doctor when he comes to this floor. Then you'll be good to go. Come to think of it, you're going to have to contact someone to come pick you up. Do you know anyone that would do that? I know you said you didn't have family nearby."

Hideki thought for a moment, and could only think of asking Miss Hibiya. He didn't like to bother her, but there was really nothing else he could do.

"My landlady is probably the best option. Can you look up her phone number? Her name is Chitose Hibiya, and I don't have my cell phone with me; otherwise I'd call her," Hideki asked.

"Of course. It's no trouble. I'll give her a call after you eat. You just get some rest until the doctor can see you," said Noemi.

While Hideki was back in his room, Noemi phoned Miss Hibiya from the nurses' station.

The landlady was shocked to hear what had happened, and immediately agreed to picking him up.

Miss Hibiya was at home, thinking about what she wanted to do for Hideki. Naturally, she thought of getting some friends together in Hideki's apartment to welcome him back, but she couldn't think of a single person Hideki considered to be a friend.

_He doesn't have any close friends, as far as I can tell,_ thought the woman. _I wonder if it would be a good idea to go to the bakery and buy a cake to cheer him up. Maybe I can mention the situation to Ueda and see what his reaction is._

Miss Hibiya decided that's what she'd do, and then got in her car and drove to Chiroru.

It was past noon when she walked in. Luckily, it wasn't busy. Ueda-san was behind the counter as usual, decorating a cake. He turned around, instantly recognizing the landlady.

"Hello, Miss Hibiya. What brings you here today?" Ueda-san asked.

"Please call me Chitose, really. But anyways, I was wondering if you had anything I could give to someone as a get well present. It's for Hideki," informed Miss Hibiya.

"Hideki? Is he okay? What happened to him?" Asked Ueda-san, with a mildly concerned tone.

"Yes, Hideki is alright. I just received a phone call from the hospital. The nurse said he fell down yesterday on his way home, and got really banged up. No broken bones, but apparently he's got a lot of stitches," said Miss Hibiya.

"Thats awful! I saw Hideki just yesterday, too. He seemed like he was in a hurry, but I'm not sure. It must've happened right after he walked by," said Ueda-san. "If I had known he'd fell, I could have done something. Come to think of it, I did see an ambulance go by not long after he passed through," he added.

Miss Hibiya's facial expression grew slightly grim. "This is exactly what worries me about Hideki. He is young and doesn't have any close friends or family in the area, so when the accident happened, no one knew about it. I'm his landlady for crying out loud! And for him to have no one but me to contact just makes me very worried. I have no problem being there for him, but he needs to know that there are more people that care about him."

"I didn't even realize that," said Ueda-san, looking as though he wanted to bite his lip. "Even after finding out that he lives by himself, I only know him as my employee, and I really didn't think to ever imagine this would happen to him."

"I'm not blaming you for not being able to foresee this, because quite frankly, neither did I. I'm just telling you, that if you care about him at all, we both need to be there for him when he needs us. I am only one person, and there is only so much I can do. What if I wasn't home to answer my phone? I think it would be frightening for a teenager to have to come home to an empty apartment after being released from the hospital. Do you understand?"

Ueda-san was listening to everything Miss Hibiya was pointing out, and he didn't fully know how to deal with the situation. "Yes, I understand. I do care about him, he's such a nice boy, and a hard worker. He deserves to have people that care about him, so I'll do whatever I can," said the baker.

After that, Miss Hibiya took a deep breath. "I apologize for my abrupt, bluntness, but I'm just concerned about Hideki."

"How about I come with you and we'll both be there to take Hideki home?" Asked Ueda-san.

"That's a great idea! I think that would mean a lot to him," said Miss Hibiya, slightly relieved.

R &amp; R :)

...

(A/N): I just want to take a moment to be personal, and say how much Hylianshadow86 means to me, for being here for me every step of the way. I just love you so much you're an amazing friend to have. You keep me inspired to continue to write this, and that helps let my thoughts and feelings out in a positive, productive way. It couldn't work out any better than that! And also, KikkyChan, for being there as well, and I love you too! As for the rest of you, keep reading and see what happens!


	16. Chapter 16

(A/N): If it weren't for Hylianshadow86, and everyone else including KikkyChan, I would not have the encouragement I need to continue to write this. But really, this chapter is dedicated to Hylianshadow86 for sure.

Having decided on what to do, Ueda-san quickly closed the patisserie, and then followed Miss Hibiya to the hospital in his car.

When the two of them walked in, they went up to the front desk.

"Good afternoon, are you here to see someone?" Asked the woman sitting at her desk from behind a window.

"Yes, we're here to see Hideki Motosuwa," answered Miss Hibiya.

"Ah. You two must be his parents. It says here that he's ready to be discharged this afternoon," said the woman, flipping through paperwork.

The landlady and the baker both looked at each other and blushed, trying not to giggle.

"We're not actually relatives," said Ueda-san, chiming in. "I'm Hideki's boss and this is his landlady. Since we were the only people available to come get him, we virtually had no other choice."

"And, that's why we're here. As soon as I got the phone call from the nurse, I immediately saw to getting here this afternoon," Miss Hibiya added, receiving a nod in agreement from Ueda-san.

"Well, it's a good thing he has others like the both of you looking out for him. Noemi will show you to Hideki's room as soon as the doctor is finished examining him before sending him home."

Hideki's friends sat down in the waiting room for a few minutes. Ueda-san was still wearing his white chef's uniform and Miss Hibiya was wearing a light, flowing skirt similar to what she always wore on nice days in the summertime. After a few minutes of sitting in grim silence amongst the others in the waiting room, a nurse appeared in the doorway across the room.

She walked over to Miss Hibiya, recognizing her from the physical description Hideki had given her. To make sure, she asked, "Are you Hideki Motosuwa's landlady?"

"Yes, I am. Are you Noemi?" Asked Miss Hibiya, returning the question.

"Indeed," she said, smiling.

"Thank you for calling me earlier, by the way," said the landlady.

"No trouble at all. It was Hideki that made sure I phoned you. He's all ready to go now. We contacted his family and they've straightened out all of the insurance and billing," said Noemi.

Miss Hibiya motioned for Ueda-san to stand up to get ready to follow Noemi down the hall.

"Is this your husband?" Asked the nurse, noticing that they had come together.

"Oh, n-no! I mean, he's just a friend of Hideki's," said Miss Hibiya, now slightly flustered.

"Hello, its nice to meet you. I'm Hideki's employer, but after hearing what had happened, I came along as well to make sure he's alright," said the baker.

"That is very kind of you, too. I'm sure he appreciates this a lot. He seems like the kind of kid that has a good head on his shoulders," Noemi said, as she led Miss Hibiya and Ueda-san down the hall.

Ueda-san and Miss Hibiya smiled at each other in amusement once more before stopping in front of Hideki's room.

The landlady walked in first, followed by Ueda-san.

Hideki was sitting in a chair next to the window, clearly very battered and bandaged, but he had color in his cheeks, and his eyes lit up when he saw them.

"Miss Hibiya! Ueda-san! I- I-" Hideki exclaimed, but was then interrupted as his landlady ran over to him and smothered him in a warm hug.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Hideki. You had me really worried," said Miss Hibiya, now smiling.

Hideki looked over towards Ueda-san. He could not believe his eyes.

"Ueda-san, you didn't have to-" The boy said, shaking his head. Hideki couldn't even finish his sentence. He was so surprised and glad to see Ueda-san that he practically started crying.

The baker came over and sat down next to Hideki. "I'm sorry this happened to you, but if you do need anything I would be happy to help," he said, trying to express his concern.

It was enough for the boy to need to hear, as he could tell that the man really did mean what he was saying. He could feel the tears beginning to well up in his eyes, but he held them back so that he wouldn't throw his emotions out too suddenly.

Noemi walked back into the room with Hideki's discharge papers and had Miss Hibiya sign them as a proxy guardian.

"Well, you're all set to go now, Hideki. We found your clothes a little bit too mangled after you fell to really be presentable, so I hope these will do," said Noemi, handing Hideki a pair of pants and a shirt. I have a younger brother about your size. I brought these in after figuring you'd probably make use of them."

"Oh, thank you!" Exclaimed the boy. "These are perfect! Thank you so much."

He waved goodbye to Noemi as she took her leave, and started getting ready to go. After Hideki got changed, he had the choice of riding with either Miss Hibiya or Ueda-san, so he instantly chose Ueda-san. The landlady followed them back to the apartment complex, which was only a short drive from the hospital.

When they pulled in, Ueda-san got out and walked around to the passenger side of the car to help the injured boy get out.

"Are you alright to walk?" The baker asked, just to make sure his employee was okay.

"Yeah. It's mostly everything from my arms up to my head that's hurting," said Hideki.

Ueda-san got Hideki settled in bed to rest, and Miss Hibiya went back out to pick up a pizza for the three of them.

"Ueda-san?" Asked the boy.

"What?" Replied the man sitting on the end of his bed.

"I'm very glad you came with Miss Hibiya to come pick me up today, but why did you decide to come?"

Thinking about it for a moment, Ueda-san said, "Well, she came into the bakery and immediately told me what had happened. I really didn't take notice of this until today, but I learned that you need to take care of the people that you care about, and I care about you, Hideki." The baker spoke almost as if he knew Hideki was going to ask a question like that.

Hideki couldn't believe what he was hearing now. He couldn't help but to let the tears he'd been keeping in all afternoon roll down his cheeks.

"Ueda-san... Thank you," said the teen.

Ueda-san brought Hideki some tissues, and then Miss Hibiya came back with the pizza.

"I've got dinner!" She called.

The three of them sat down and ate dinner in the kitchen, and celebrated Hideki's safe return. Miss Hibiya and Ueda-san told the boy about what had happened earlier, and how they'd been mistaken as a couple twice in a row. Hideki got a good laugh out of that, and they were both glad to see he was recovering well.

After dinner, Miss Hibiya made sure Hideki was comfortable, and then started cleaning everything up. Ueda-san stayed with Hideki in his bedroom for a few more minutes until he could tell Hideki was ready to fall asleep.

"Ueda-san?" Asked Hideki, tiredly.

"Yes?"

"Would you please stay with me?" The boy proceeded.

Ueda-san didn't know what to say at first, but he laid down next to the tired boy and placed a kiss on his forehead.

"Of course I will."


	17. Chapter 17

Ueda-san stayed beside Hideki as he drifted off to sleep. The boy nuzzled his face right up against the baker's chest.

_I guess I'm not going to bother moving now,_ thought the man, after Hideki had warmed him up and was snuggled so adorably alongside him. Ueda-san pulled a blanket over Hideki and got under it as well.

_Hideki, you're so cute… I don't really know what that means, but I know how much I care about you now. I never want you to be alone again. _The baker touched Hidek's soft face and gently kissed him again on the forehead before falling asleep.

When the sun had risen high enough over the horizon to reach into his apartment, Hideki began to wake up. His eyes opened to see Ueda-san still asleep, actually holding him very closely and warmly. He looked relaxed and peaceful, and had a faint smile spread across his face as he slept.

_I love you, Ueda-san. _The boy was so glad to be exactly where he was, and buried his face back into his boss's chest and rested there until the man started to wake up as well.

"You awake, Hideki?" Ueda-san whispered, not entirely sure if Hideki was conscious enough to realize the position they were in.

"Ueda-san, yes I'm awake," Hideki responded, his head still pressed against the baker's body.

The man blushed, beginning to let go of the boy he'd been somewhat unconsciously embracing all night, but Hideki stopped him.

"You don't have to let go of me, Ueda-san," the teen said, as he gently wrapped his arms around the man's torso.

"Hideki, I know I'm your boss and all, but I want you to know that you mean much more to me than just an employee."

The boy's eyes widened at where he thought Ueda-san could possibly be going with what he was saying.

"I just realized that you've always called me by my last name out of respect, but you can feel free to call me Hiroyasu if you want to," he continued.

"I'm so used to calling you Ueda-san. Hiroyasu… That name is often associated with hard workers. You do work very hard, Ueda-san- I mean, Hiroyasu. Can I call you Hiro?" Hideki was thinking intently as he spoke. "I care very much for you too. I'm so happy you're here with me."

The man tried to stifle a laugh, and then spoke. "I haven't been called that since I was a little kid! You can call me that, Hideki, but only you. No one else has permission to call me Hiro."

They both remained in bed snuggling with each other for a little while longer until they heard a knock at the door.

"I'll go see who it is. You can stay here, Hideki. I'll help you get out of bed in a minute." Hiroyasu smiled at the boy and got up to answer the door.

It was Miss Hibiya.

"Good morning, Ueda! Did you stay the night, or did you just get here?" The woman asked, in a light, happy voice.

The man was still in the clothes he was wearing the previous day, so she couldn't tell if he'd already gotten dressed or not.

"I stayed with Hideki the whole night," said Hiroyasu, starting to blush slightly. "To make sure I was there in case he needed anything," he added.

"Ah, that is so good to hear. How is he? I brought over breakfast for the both of you," said Miss Hibiya.

"He seems very happy. I haven't gotten him out of bed yet or really looked at any of his stitches, but we were about to. C'mon let's go get him," said the baker.

Miss Hibiya followed Ueda into the bedroom where Hideki was, and said good morning to him after giving the boy several hugs and much affectionate smothering. Ueda helped Hideki get out of bed, even though he was completely okay to walk and standing didn't hurt. Hideki didn't mind the extra care, especially since it was coming from his tall, handsome boss.

Once the boy was up, the three friends sat down and ate breakfast together. Miss Hibiya had made french toast with cinnamon sugar.

"Wow this is really delicious!" Said Ueda.

"Thank you. It means a lot to me to recieve a compliment from an excellent pastry chef such as yourself," Miss Hibiya said, very flattered.

Hideki was too hungry to talk. His appetite was as strong as always, and he gobbled down every last bite. When he was done, he sat back in his chair and grinned a big goofy smile for eating so much. He went to stretch one of his arms, but then stopped suddenly because the stitches were pulling the skin vigorously and he realized they actually felt pretty sore.

"Hideki, please be careful. Do you feel alright?" Asked the landlady, cautiously.

"I'm okay. It just hurts to move like this sometimes," said the boy.

"Let's get you settled back in for now. Do you want me to set up the TV for you in my apartment? You can lay on the couch for awhile and we'll see how you feel later. I'll just be tidying the place up so if you need anything I'll be in earshot of you," suggested Miss Hibiya.

Hideki nodded in agreement.

"You wanna bring him over to my place when he's ready?" The lady asked Ueda.

"Sure can," he answered. "I should probably get down to the bakery at some point too, but if you need anything, Hideki, Miss Hibiya and I are accessible. Don't hesitate," the man said, as he got up and hugged the boy lovingly around his shoulders.

"Thank you so much, both of you," Hideki blushed. "It would be so much more difficult to live here if I didn't have you."

"You know we'll do you everything we can, Hideki, you're our friend, and that's what we're for," said Miss Hibiya.

"Do you mind if I shower up here and then head over to the bakery for a few hours, Hideki?"

"Yeah that's fine. Actually, I never returned the clothes you lent me the other day. I washed them and they're in a bag next to the backpack on top of my dresser," said Hideki, directing the man back into his room.

"I almost forgot about that. Thanks, Hideki!"

After Miss Hibiya went back over to her unit, Hiroyasu went into Hideki's bathroom to take a shower.

_All I have is almond shampoo… I hope Hiro's okay with smelling like that… _Hideki thought, as soon as he heard the water start running.

The tall baker took off his clothes and stepped into the hot water. He didn't bring any of his own soap, since he didn't originally plan on spending the night, so he had to use what Hideki had in bottles. He opened one of them and it smelled heavenly of amaretto.

_So this is how he always smells so good… I've got a great idea now, _the man thought to himself, as he lathered his big, sturdy body in Hideki's favorite shampoo.


	18. Chapter 18

When Hiroyasu had finished taking a shower, he dried off and got dressed into the clothes he'd previously lent to Hideki. The man stepped out of the bathroom and the boy immediately could smell that he'd used the almond shampoo.

"Honestly, Hideki, this soap smells so good," said the baker, as he dried his hair off with a towel.

"It's my favorite kind," replied the boy, a little bit embarrassed.

Then, Hiroyasu helped Hideki get changed out of his nightclothes and into something comfortable to wear while he would be at Miss Hibiya's apartment for he day. He was trying as hard as he could not to blush or make it noticeable that he was actually starting to feel physically attracted to Hideki, now that the boy was in his underwear. He politely looked away to the best of his ability while his friend exchanged them for a clean pair. It was mostly the shirt that Hideki needed help with, since his neck and arm were stitched up. Hiro grabbed a long-sleeved t-shirt and carefully guided each of the boy's arms through until it was on comfortably.

All the while, Hideki was enjoying having Hiroyasu so close to him.

"Thanks, Hiro," said the dark-haired teen, cheerfully.

"It's my pleasure," the baker replied.

Both of them walked over to Miss Hibiya's apartment and Hideki rang the bell. Within a few seconds, the landlady opened the door and welcomed them in.

"Take good care of Hideki for me today," said Hiroyasu, as he started to take his leave. Miss Hibiya nodded in response. "I'll stop by again after work to see how you're doing," he said to Hideki.

The baker gave the boy a gentle hug before leaving.

"Thank you for taking care of me, Hiro," said the teen. "I wish I wasn't as helpless, but I promise I'll get well soon!"

"Don't worry about it. Remember we're here to take care of each other," the baker said, smiling.

Once Hiroyasu got to Chiroru, he started setting everything up for the day. He had a lot of work to do and a lot of orders to fill by the end of the day. The baker grabbed his uniform and apron and got to work. He had to make hazelnut roll cakes, madeleines, lady fingers, and mille-feuilles with vanilla custard filling. It was quite a lot, even for him.

_I've got to get all these done so I have time to make Hideki the special dessert I thought of earlier, _the man thought. _First, I'll start by putting together the dough for the roll cakes, and then get started on the batter for the madeleines until that's done baking. _

Hiroyasu had all of his regular recipes down to an exact science, and when he was in the kitchen, nothing could dampen his overflowing talent for creating new confectionary masterpieces.

When he had finished putting all of the ingredients into the now large mass of sweet dough for the roll cakes, he quickly got out the homemade hazelnut spread that he kept a fresh stock of in the fridge, and began flattening out the dough with an industrial sized wooden rolling pin. Once the soft, light colored dough was flattened, the baker spread a layer of hazelnut paste across the top, then rolling it together into a long, cylindrical shape. Hiroyasu cut it into sections so he could see the differentiation between the spiral of white dough and the tan, creamy hazelnut filling in between.

Every time he was finished with another pastry, he would put it on the cooling wracks and begin the next task. By now, the baker was finished everything except the surprise he wanted to make Hideki. Hiroyasu flipped through his own book of original recipes to see if he'd ever written down a list of ingredients for an almond cake. He'd known he'd made one before, but never wrote down what was in it.

_This one's going to be just for Hideki, _Hiroyasu thought, as he began looking for almond extract, something he hadn't actually used in a while. _When I smelled that shampoo this morning, it reminded me of this exact dessert!_

As the skilled pâtissier began tossing ingredients into his brand new almond cake creation, made specially for Hideki, he wrote everything down so he could make it again if the boy really enjoyed it.

As he poured the thick cake batter into a bundt pan and set it in the preheated oven to bake for almost an hour, the customers picking up the big orders began coming in.

The prices Hiro commanded were reasonable, but they still had to be marked up quite a bit, especially because a lot of the supplies he used were imported and very expensive. The last customer came in to pick up the platter of mille feuilles and lady fingers and left satisfied after tasting just a bite of one of his delicious, fluffy pastries. When everyone had picked up their orders, Hiroyasu locked the front door and switched the "open" sign to "closed."

By the time Hideki's cake was finished, the baker took it out of the oven to let it cool. He got out some cream, powdered sugar, and a dash of almond extract and mixed them into a glaze to pour over it.

Finally, as the clock hit a quarter after six, Hiroyasu was finished putting all of the ingredients away, and cleaning up all of the excess flour that had left a light coating of dust on almost everything in the kitchen. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead and then cleaned himself off and got changed in the back to get ready to go back to see Hideki and Miss Hibiya.

Miss Hibiya and Hideki ended up spending the day watching anime together, and trying different kinds of tea. The landlady was making dinner for her, Hideki, and the baker.

When Hiroyasu got to the apartment complex, he first went into Hideki's unit and put the cake on the table, so the boy would be surprised when he walked in when he got back, and then went over to Miss Hibiya's.

"It's probably Hiro!" Hideki chirped, when he heard a friendly knock on the door. "Can I answer it?"

"Go right ahead," Miss Hibiya answered.

"Hiro!" The elated boy exclaimed, as he wrapped his arms around the man, not even a second after opening the door.

"Hey Hideki, how are you feeling?" Asked the baker, hugging the excited teen back.

"I'm doing well, thank you. Oh, you smell like flour and almonds! I didn't realize how long the smell of that shampoo could actually last," Hideki noticed.

"Hahaha," Hiro laughed, thinking. _Thank goodness he thinks it's the shampoo, because it's probably the cake I just made!_

_"_How was the patisserie today? Busy?" The younger boy asked.

"Not too busy, but I was pretty occupied filling phone orders from the previous day. Other than that, everything went okay," said Hiroyasu, as he took off his shoes to come into Miss Hibiya's neatly carpeted living room.

"Dinner is just about ready, you two," their friend called from the kitchen, as she brought out a big platter of chicken parmesan, garlic bread, and some beautifully painted, colorful plates into the dining room to eat off of.

"I haven't used these in so long," Miss Hibiya said, as she set the delicate china down in front of Hideki and Hiroyasu, who were already seated right next to each other.

"They look handmade," noticed the baker.

"Actually, I created the design that's on them when I was in art school many years ago. I had it printed on a set of plates I bought, and never really used them as much as I'd wanted to," said the woman.

"Wow, that's pretty cool. I didn't know you were an artist," said the taller man.

"Yes, I majored in painting, and then took several classes in children's literature after that. I wanted to publish my own picture books, but I still haven't gotten around to doing it. I just don't have the inspiration to do that kind of work anymore. I'd rather do something with graphic design if I ever get back into my artwork again. You don't need to wait until I'm finished blabbering guys, dig in!" Miss Hibiya exclaimed, not even noticing that she'd just given Hiroyasu another idea.

"Mmm!" Hideki was delighted by the taste of the sauce. "This is so delicious! Miss Hibiya, your food is gourmet!" Miss Hibiya blushed, shaking her head slightly.

"I agree," said the baker. "I was actually just thinking, would you like to do a graphic for Chiroru? Feel free to decline if this would be too much for you, but the sign I have hanging above the awning is getting old and I was contemplating the idea of getting a new one made. If you're looking for a job, I'd hire you to create something eye-catching and fresh," said Hiroyasu.

"Really? I'd love to do that! We'll definitely be talking business. I'll start throwing some ideas around," said the surprised woman, as her face instantly lit up.

Once everyone was done eating, Hideki yawned, and put a hand on his stomach. "That was one of the best meals I've had in a long time."

"Looks like someone's getting a little bit tired," said Hiroyasu, extending his hand to help the boy up.

Even though Hiro had been helping Hideki do things like this for the past two days or so, he still couldn't help but blush every time the man touched him.

"Thanks," said the now lightly pink-cheeked teen.

Hiro smiled at the boy, and then helped Miss Hibiya clean everything up and load the dishes into her automatic dishwasher. When they were all done, the two males thanked the woman, and then headed next door to Hideki's apartment.

When Hideki stepped inside, he noticed the beautifully glazed cake sitting on his countertop, under a big glass dome.

"What is this?" The boy's eyes widened, as he walked over to it. "Oh my gosh! It's an almond cake!?" He exclaimed, able to smell the aroma, after lifting the glass cover by the handle.

"I made it for you today, Hideki," said Hiro, blushing, not really knowing how to react in the situation.

"Thank you! No one's ever made me a cake like this!" Hideki practically pounced on the man, hugging him so hard.

"Hideki, I- I just…" Hiroyasu wrapped his strong arms around the boy in response, and started to lean closer, kissing him on the cheek.

Hideki could see how red the man's face was turning, and he was starting to figure what he might've been trying to say, but it seemed like he wasn't quite ready yet.

"Hiro, I'm so happy you did this for me. I don't know if I could ask for any-"

Hideki was interrupted, as he felt a pair of warm lips capture his in a very powerful kiss.


	19. Chapter 19

(A/N): I'm actually out of state on vacation, with little access to internet, but I managed to come up with chapter nineteen, so I really hope you enjoy it, and that it brighten's your day. I can't believe where the story has finally ended up. I know it was questionable at first, but believe me, there shouldn't be anymore questions as to whether or not Hiroyasu and Hideki feel the same way for each other. However, don't be surprised if I decide to throw any curve balls in the future!

-Angelic Land

...

Hideki responded, melting so longingly into the kiss. The boy felt monumentally relieved, and he even began to cry, he was so happy.

"Are you alright, Hideki?" Hiro asked, growing slightly concerned, as he noticed that the teen had tears falling from his eyes.

"Yes, I'm alright. I love you, Hiro," Hideki said, as he tenderly enveloped the man's lips in another passionate kiss.

Hiroyasu hugged the boy tightly, and gently touched Hideki's face as they continued.

"I love you too, Hideki," the baker confessed.

They were both blushing so hard. Neither of them could believe what that they had just done.

"Hideki?" The man asked, as the two of them sat down together on the teen's couch.

"What?" The boy replied, smiling.

"How long have you-"

"Hiro, it doesn't matter. I know we both feel the same way about each other now. I would have waited-"

"But you don't have to. I love you very much, Hideki."

Both men kept interrupting each other until they realized that they knew for sure that they were always going to keep ending up in the same place. The baker held the boy closely in his arms.

"Do you want to have some cake?" The man asked, before moving in and kissing the side of the boy's neck.

"Of course I would! Thank you so much!" Hideki exclaimed, giggling lightly from the touch of the baker's lips gently finding their way to the other side of his neck.

When they stood up, Hideki reached into a cabinet in the kitchen and got out a couple of plates, while Hiro cut him a big piece of his heavenly, homemade almond cake. He placed it in front of Hideki who was salivating in anticipation. After he cut himself a piece, they sat down at the table and tasted it. Hideki's entire face lit up as he took his first bite.

"I swear I'm not just saying this, but I don't think I've ever tasted anything so good," said the boy. The look on his face after he said that proved he truly meant it, and then his eyes started to water and he tried to look away, but couldn't. "I don't know why I'm crying, but-"

"It's okay, Hideki," said the baker.

The man came over to the teen and wrapped his arms around him again.

"Hiro, I really love you," Hideki said.

"I really love you too," the man replied, wiping the tears from the teen's beautiful eyes.

Hiro's smile was warm and comforting, and just seeing that made Hideki smile too. When they'd both finished eating their pieces of cake, Hiroyasu motioned for the boy to stand up.

"Let's get you ready for bed so you're comfortable," said the taller man.

"Okay," the boy nodded.

Hiro led Hideki back into the bedroom and got out a blue t-shirt and a pair of soft, grey underwear for him to wear to bed.

"Are these alright?" The man asked, just to be sure.

"Yes, they're perfect," Hideki said. "Hiro?"

"Yes?" The handsome baker responded, curiously.

"Can you please stay with me again tonight?" The boy asked, with a pleading look.

"Of course I can, Hideki. Don't be silly! C'mere!" Hiroyasu cuddled the boy, kissing him on the top of the head, as Hideki nuzzled his face into the man's firm, wide chest.

"Thank you, Hiro," Hideki said, hugging the baker as tightly as he could.

Even after kissing each other and getting closer to each other while they cuddled, Hiro still blushed and tried to look away as the boy changed into his nightclothes.

Hideki's body was slightly less massive than his own, but he had a fairly muscular, sturdy frame as well. Hideki was facing the other direction as he changed, but once he turned around to get into bed, Hiro could see how well his tight underwear was fitting and definitive over his protruding male parts.

The larger man's blush deepened to a red as saturated as the color of velvet when Hideki noticed that his cheeks were already a noticeable shade of pink. "You don't have to be embarrassed, Hiro," the teen said, as a sweet, playful chuckle escaped his soft lips.

The boy got back into his bed, and then realized he probably couldn't lend Hiro any clothes to wear to bed, since they'd be a little too small.

"I'd let you borrow a set of clothes for the night, but they're probably not big enough for you."

"That's okay, Hideki," the baker said. He stood up and started taking off his clothes as well, until all he had on was his underwear.

Hideki couldn't help but gaze at the man, now that most of his gorgeous, long, muscular body was exposed to him. The bulge from Hiroyasu's crotch was much bigger and looked a lot heavier than his, and although the boy didn't notice it at first, he was starting to get pretty damn hard.

Hideki felt his cheeks grow hot as he watched Hiro walk across the room to turn out the lights. The man climbed into Hideki's soft bed, and pulled the boy he loved closer to him so their bodies were against one another.

"The only thing that tastes better than your delicious almond cake are your scrumptious lips," Hideki whispered into the man's ear; his breath radiating with heat as he spoke.

"Mmm, and your lips are galaxies beyond the taste of anything I've ever made," Hiro replied, whispering into the boy's ear.

They both laughed, and before they knew it, the two males were exploring each other's wet mouths, loving the beautiful feeling of finally being able to have closed the distance that was no longer between them.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note:**

**I cannot believe I've made it this far. First of all, I've never written anything with this many ups and downs and different chapters full of feelings. I say this is an author's note, but it's really a note specifically to thank Hylianshadow86 and KikkyChan for keeping me going. They deserve so much credit for helping this story unfold with their support. **

**Without Hylianshadow86, I would never have turned this idea into an entire story that has captured all of my heart, and helped me believe that being different is the farthest thing from easy, and even so, is still just as worth living through. I have to save something very important until the end of this story, so I won't say it now, but look forward to something just for you in the future. **

**The story isn't finished yet, although it's getting there, and I could end it here if I wanted to, however, I just don't think it needs to end just yet. I'm gonna warn you, there's a bit of an old bone thrown back in that was never resolved in previous chapters, so take that as your curve ball, but don't get hit by it too hard. **

**Also, I will call this *kind of* a lemon. I carefully thought and wrote while I sat on the beach, and came up with this, and honestly I am so intensely hot and satisfied by what Hiro and Hideki do. **

**So, since you've been such a big help, please do something to reward yourselves! ****Cheers to twenty chapters! Also, more importantly, to thank someone so near and dear to me, Hylianshadow86.**

* * *

**Chapter 20**

Hideki was exactly where he wanted to be, and so was Hiro. Although the boy wasn't fully recovered from the bad spill he'd taken several days before, he couldn't help the fact that he could feel the friction that he and the baker were building together as their hands began to roam each other's bodies.

Hiro's barely clothed manhood was growing against the boy's hardness; Hideki already thought he was going to explode. The man could tell from the look on the teen's face that he was desperately fighting the urge to release. Hiroyasu pinned Hideki down with a forceful, drawn-out kiss, and then moved his big hand down to the boy's tightly clothed erection. He cupped it and got a snug grip, continuously shifting his hand until Hideki's pre-cum started to create a little wet spot that the man could feel coming from the tip of the boy's hardened bulge.

Now, Hiro was feeling a massive constricting feeling in his underwear as well, and he couldn't even believe how intensely hot he was getting, just from groping the teen.

The baker reached into Hideki's shorts and wrapped his warm hand around the boy's hard shaft.

Hideki panted and squirmed almost uncontrollably as Hiro moved his arm, pumping his manhood. The boy thrusted his length into the man's hand as he continued his motions.

"Hiro, this feels so... good..." Hideki managed to say between breaths.

Hiroyasu passionately met the younger male's lips with his and allowed the boy to explore his mouth as he finished jerking him off.

Hideki grunted, breathing roughly while the larger man tightened his grip until boy met his release, coating Hiro's hand in his semen and getting it all over his grey boxer briefs.

The boy seemed tired, judging by the way he was breathing, but hardly a moment later, Hideki climbed on top of Hiro and planted his lips over the man's mouth, and kissed his way down his chest to the bottom of his long torso.

Hiro shuddered in surprise when Hideki stuck his hand into his underwear without any hesitation and immediately grasped his immense dick. The man's pre-cum had already ran down about half of his length. Hideki licked his fingers playfully after running them up and down Hiro's long, thick penis.

As soon as he was finished, Hideki clamped his hand down onto the baker's hardness, and started pumping him. The teen laid down on top of the man so he could reach his lips as he jerked him off.

Hiro wrapped his arms around the smaller boy and moaned into his kiss, feeling the pressure begin to skyrocket within his engorged lower region.

"Hideki!" The man grunted. "I'm gonna blow any-!"

The boy let Hiro claim his mouth vigorously as he worked the larger man to a climax. Hiroyasu's hot semen exploded from his penis all over Hideki's hand, arm, and chest.

When all of the man's seed had finished spurting out, Hideki let go of his manliness and licked off some of the baker's thick essence. Hiro watched the boy close his eyes as he tasted him and smiled, going in for another kiss.

By this point, they were both finally ready to go to bed, and within a matter of minutes, Hideki fell soundly to sleep in Hiro's embrace.

In the morning, Hiro opened his eyes to the most beautiful sight. Hideki's head was resting on his chest peacefully as he slept. The boy was breathing softly, and had his arms gently around the baker's waist in a relaxed, comfortable position. Hiroyasu kissed the teen's head and quietly whispered "I love you" into his ear.

When Hideki started to wake up, he didn't realize he was laying on Hiro's chest. He snuggled into the man's warm skin, thinking it was a pillow, but then began to gain enough consciousness to fully be aware of what he was doing, and that the man's chest was too heated and muscular to be any type of cushion. The boy opened his eyes and smiled, looking up at Hiro.

"Good morning, Hiro!" The boy said, happily.

"Good morning, Hideki," the man replied, as he cuddled the boy and shared a few loving kisses with him.

Both males laid there together for awhile until they were ready to get up. Hideki's chest and and belly were coated in dried semen, and both men had more of the same sticky mess in their crotches.

"Do you wanna get cleaned off?" Hiro asked, giggling.

"I think that's a good idea," Hideki answered, blushing, as he glanced down at the mess all over his body. "You really had a lot in you," the boy added.

Hiro laughed, his face turning bright red. He took Hideki's hand as they both climbed off of the bed, and went into the bathroom. The baker made sure the boy's stitches were all covered up so they stayed as dry as possible.

"It looks like your wounds are starting to close up nicely, Hideki. We'll have to get the stitches out pretty soon," said Hiroyasu, as he wrapped up the last small area on the side of the boy's head.

Once the water was warm enough, Hiro gently picked up the teen and set him down once they had stepped into the shower.

"Thanks," said Hideki.

The boy grinned as he took the bottle of almond shampoo off the shelf. He opened the lid and held it up to the man, motioning for him to take it as they stood in the steamy water together. Hiro took the bottle from Hideki and smelled it, his eyes widening in delight. Both of them couldn't help but giggle over the fact that they were going wild over the sent of a silly little soap, but they didn't care. It smelled so delicious.

Hiro helped Hideki clean himself off, getting the places where the boy wanted the man to touch him the most. In return, Hideki lathered the amaretto soap onto the man's stomach, making it foam up. Then he gently massaged it onto his groin, making Hiro smell like almonds in all the right places as well.

By the time Hiro and Hideki were done playfully getting cleaned off, it was already mid morning. The baker helped the boy get dressed, and then started by throwing his clothes in the wash, along with what Hideki was wearing the previous night.

The boy heard the mailman drop something into his box outside the front door, so he got up to go see what it was.

"I'm going to go check the mail," Hideki called, as he stepped outside to open his mailbox.

When he opened it, there was one envelope. Enclosed were the results from all of his entrance exams. Hideki couldn't wait until he got back inside to open it, so he tore open the envelope right where he was standing.

The teen felt a queezy feeling brewing in the pit of his stomach, and crossed his fingers, hoping that he was going to finally see passing scores. He'd studied as diligently as he could, and with the addition of attending cram school, Hideki knew he'd done the best he could with what he had.

The boy slowly pulled out the contents of his mail, and felt his heart sink when he read the words:

"Dear Hideki,

We regret to inform you that you've failed to meet the required scores on enough college entrance examinations in order for you to move on in the process of getting accepted into a university."

The letter was about a page in length, but the boy didn't need to know anything more than what was in the first sentence. He crumpled the piece of paper up and threw it on the ground in immediate frustration.

"I've been working on getting into college for two years already and not once have I even come close to passing a single one of these stupid tests!" Hideki yelled, stomping on the discarded scraps of paper.

The boy was more disappointed in himself than he'd been for as long as he could remember.

"What's the point of even having these exams?" Hideki pouted, as he began to feel his head start to pulsate.

Hiro decided to go see what was going on, having thought he heard the boy cry out something. When he opened the door, he saw the boy standing there; his face wet with tears.

"Hideki? Come on back inside," the man said, taking the boy's hand and bringing him into the living room.

Hideki sat down and buried his face into a pillow. Hiro didn't know what to do to try to make the boy feel better, so he sat down next to him and gently touched his back, rubbing it softly until the boy removed the pillow from his face.

"Hiro, I don't want to think this, but it feels like I'm really stupid. I can't even pass a college entrance exam," the boy said, with great disappointment in his words.

"Hideki, you aren't stupid at all. You have always been bright, and you know your feelings well. You wouldn't have been able to get past everything you've been suffering through if you weren't the strong, intelligent young man that you are. I really do feel bad for not telling you how I felt towards you earlier on, but I just felt so uncomfortable thinking about it, that I always pushed what was in my heart out of my mind, not knowing how you'd react. I never even let it pass my mind that you'd feel the same way for me until I finally realized how much we both openly discovered how much we care for each other. So, you're not dumb, and you're not stupid; you are bright, and I love you just the way you are, Hideki."

The boy hugged Hiro after hearing what he said. "Do you really mean all of that?" The boy asked, as Hiro nodded and smiled in assurance. "I love you just the way you are too," he added.

"Those test scores aren't going to decide whether or not you're going to succeed. To tell you the truth, I chose the easy way out and went to culinary school. I did have to pass some exams, but they were cooking assignments, not written tests. I know you've been working to pass ever since you graduated high school, but maybe you should take some time off from your studies. If it's any consolation, I could use more help at the bakery. You can work with me for as long as you want, and take all the time you need to figure out what you want to do. It's just a suggestion. I don't want to push you in any sort of direction that you're not comfortable with."

Hideki thought for a moment. "You've definitely got a point. I have done nothing but study and work to pay for school for the past couple of years, and I'd probably be a lot less stressed out if I just took a break from it. I'm not even sure that going to school is what I want to do, it's just what I thought I had to do, because I never knew any better. I can't say for sure right now though. I'd love to work with you at the bakery," Hideki said, his tears finally letting up.

Hiroyasu moved Hideki into his lap and hugged him tightly. "I'm here for you, Hideki. I'll do everything I can to help you. That's what I'm here for, because I love you," said Hiro, looking into the boy's starry eyes.

"Thank you," The boy responded, throwing his arms around the larger man, resting his head on his shoulder. Then he turned to face Hiro, and reminded the man that he too wanted to do whatever he could to be there for him. "I mean that," he stated. "I'm in love with you, and I want to make you happy."

The baker stroked the teen's soft cheek as he spoke. "Hideki, you've already made me happy. You made me happy from the very start."

Hideki smiled, his face rich with pure, beautiful life, as he looked into Hiro's deep, sparkling eyes, then letting his lips be captured by those of the man he loved so much.


	21. Chapter 21

From the moment she'd woken up, Miss Hibiya had been brainstorming ideas for Chiroru's new logo. She had completely lost track of the time as she drafted various sketches and jotted down ideas for her initial proposal.

While the landlady continued to work, Hiro and Hideki were still in the apartment next door.

"Are you getting hungry?" The baker asked the boy.

"Oh yeah, neither one of us have had breakfast yet," Hideki answered, remembering that his stomach did feel pretty empty.

"Do you wanna go out for breakfast somewhere, and then head over to the patisserie?" Hiroyasu suggested.

"Yes!" Hideki exclaimed, happily. "That sounds like so much fun!"

Hiro was glad to see the teen starting to go back to himself again, since he grew concerned for the boy after he'd read the bad news from school. He wanted to do the best he could to make Hideki smile.

Once they were ready to go, and Hiro's clothes were finished washing and drying, Hideki locked the door. The boy put his keys in his pocket and took Hiro's hand as they walked to the man's car.

"Where are we gonna eat?" The teen asked.

"There's a nice diner downtown. Does that sound good?" The baker asked.

"Yeah! I'm so hungry," Hideki said.

When they got to the diner, the two men got a booth and sat down together.

"Ms Shimizu?" Hideki said, surprised, as a woman walked up to the table to take his order.

"Hello, Hideki," she said. "Once school ended, I needed a little extra cash to get me through the summer, so I got a job here."

"This is my boyfriend, Ueda," the boy said, intensely blushing, as he introduced the man to his former cram school teacher.

Hiro felt his face heat up too, and realized that this was the first time that Hideki had referred to him as his boyfriend.

"It's nice to meet you," Ms Shimizu said. "I was Hideki's teacher for most of the year. Did you, um... get your results?" The woman asked the boy, somewhat uncomfortably.

"Yeah, this morning..." Hideki sulked, his voice trailing off at the initial thoughts that came to his mind.

"I'm really sorry. You worked harder than anyone else in that class, Hideki. I feel really bad," Ms Shimizu said.

"It's alright. I know I just found out this morning, but I'm already starting to take the approach that, even if I failed most of the exams, it happened for a reason," the boy said.

Hiro smiled at the teen. "That's the best way to look at it, Hideki."

The woman managed to smile too, even though she thought that Hideki deserved to pass those entrance exams more than any of her other students. "Picking yourself up and dusting yourself off when you fail is the best advice I can give you, but I think you've already began to do that," said Ms Shimizu.

"That's right," the boy replied. "And having people that care about me there for me when I need them is all I could ever ask for," Hideki added, looking towards Hiro.

Ms Shimizu agreed. She didn't say what she was thinking, but she was very impressed, however not surprised, by her former student's strong sense of maturity. "Well, I imagine you boys didn't come in thinking you'd run into me, so that must mean you're probably here for some breakfast," the woman said, jokingly. "What would you like to eat?"

After they ate, Hiro and Hideki got back in the car and drove over to the parking garage near Chiroru.

"It's really a small world, isn't it?" The man said, referring to having Hideki's teacher as their waitress.

"Yeah, it was weird seeing her, especially right after receiving my test results," said the boy. "It felt good though, and she didn't seem disappointed in me for failing, either."

"I don't know how anyone could ever be disappointed with you," Hiro said, making the boy blush.

They parked the car, and then walked down the sidewalk to Chiroru to start opening the place up for the day.

"Thank you so much for taking me out to breakfast, Hiro," the boy said, latching onto the man, as he was changing into his white uniform and apron.

Hiro hugged the boy back, lifting him up high enough to reach his lips. Hideki kissed him back hard, loving every second of being in the baker's arms.

"It was no trouble, Hideki. We should go on a date out to dinner sometime!" The man exclaimed, kissing his smaller boyfriend one more time before putting him back down.

"That would be awesome! I would love that," Hideki said, excitedly.

"We'll go this weekend then!" The man said, now just as excited as Hideki. "Oh, I almost forgot, we're supposed to be opening up the patisserie!"

Hiroyasu got out a set of clothes for Hideki. They were the one's he'd used previously when he was working for him before cram school started up for the year. After Hideki threw on the uniform, Hiro helped him tie the apron around his waist.

"We match now!" The boy said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Yes! Hahaha we really do!" Hiro laughed. "I meant to remind you that you're still recovering, Hideki, so I don't want you to do anything today that will push you too hard," the man added. "You can work the register at the front counter and I'll do the baking and heavy lifting, if that's ok with you."

"Yes, whatever you need help with, I'm here to do. Not only am I your boyfriend, but your worker too!" The boy said.

"If you need anything, just holler. I'll be in the back for awhile," said the baker, as he kissed Hideki and went into the kitchen to work.

Hideki stayed in the store and tidied everything up, dealing with the customers as they meandered in while the afternoon went by. It was a slow day, until Miss Hibiya showed up.

Hiro had finished baking and prepping for the next day, and was sitting behind the counter with Hideki.

"I thought I'd find you two here," she said, sounding slightly out of breath from hustling. "I've come up with a brand new logo to show you, Hiroyasu! I know we hadn't discussed it much yet, but when the idea came to me, I had to draw it out right away."

"We're about done for the day, so sit down and we'll see what you've got! I can't wait to see it!" Exclaimed the baker.

"It's nothing groundbreaking, but since you seem to have a French theme going, and the fact that it's a patisserie, I came up with this, and I think its at least catchier than the old logo," said the woman, as she pulled out her plans from a large cardboard tube.

"This is... perfect!" Hiroyasu shouted.

Just the fact that Miss Hibiya had taken the initiative to talk him into getting a new sign made for the bakery was impressive, but when Hideki and Hiro both looked at her design, they were stunned. It was basically an Eiffel Tower with a silhouette of two lovers holding up a heart-shaped pastry. The word "Chiroru" w spread across the top in an arch of beautiful script.

"Miss Hibiya, this is beautiful!" Said Hideki.

Hiroyasu shook Miss Hibiya's hand and they had a deal. The two of them started working out dimensions, colors, and materials right away. It was good to see Miss Hibiya excited about her passion.

After closing Chiroru for the evening, the baker brought Hideki and Miss Hibiya over to his apartment for dinner. Both Hideki and Miss Hibiya had never been there before, and couldn't believe how big and fancy it was.

Miss Hibiya left once they'd all eaten and cleaned the dishes, leaving Hiro and Hideki alone together again. The taller man brought the boy into the bathroom with the jacuzzi tub.

"Woah." Was all Hideki could say before his clothes were off and he was dipping a toe into the steamy water.

Hiro turned on the jets, took off his clothes as well, and stepped into the hot tub with the teen.

At last, the day was finally over, and the two males finally had time to melt into each other's mouths once again.


	22. Chapter 22

Back at her apartment, Miss Hibiya opened her cellar doors to cobwebs and dust.

_I haven't been down here in a long time,_ she thought.

Miss Hibiya never talked about her late husband. She'd stopped her career as an artist on the very day he died, a few years ago.

The woman and her husband were an artist team, and they both took on jobs and projects together. They had originally started as freelance muralists and met when they were both starving artists trying to earn their keep in a brand new city. The two of them began working together, and eventually fell in love.

When they'd saved up enough money to buy their first place, all they could afford was a run-down apartment complex that had gone into foreclosure. It was far too spacious for just two people, but since it was in the area of the city in which they wanted to live, and the price was right, the newlywed couple bought it.

Chitose Hibiya's husband's name was Shiba. Together, they restored the buildings on the property one by one, and eventually turned the place back into functioning apartment rental business.

They didn't realize how successful it would turn out to be, but when they discovered how much profits they were earning from consistently renting out the majority of the units, Chitose and Shiba were able to set up an entire workshop in the space they had in the basement.

Their artwork became an activity that they no longer needed to live off of, so the couple began to delve deeper into what it really meant as a passion to them.

Chitose would wake up every morning and begin painting, as she lost track of the time doing what she loved with the sky as her limit for creativity. When Shiba got up, he sat with his beautiful wife and painted as well.

In the afternoons, the couple managed their apartment complex, and then spent their evenings together doing whatever they felt like doing.

Down the road, after discovering that she couldn't have children of her own, Chitose and her husband grew so much closer, and they grew to appreciate each other's love, company, and support more than they could've ever imagined.

The last project that Miss Hibiya and Shiba were working on together was a portrait of the both of them. They had been visually creating an image of each other sitting under a big, old silver leaf maple in the cool air of an evening during the height of summer. They had both shared the dream of finding a place like that one day.

That painting was Chitose and Shiba's way of executing what they both imagined, and it was a reflection of how much they both valued the unity and beauty they treasured within their bond. They never had the chance to finish it.

One day, the landlady went downstairs to begin painting, and by the time she noticed that Shiba hadn't come down, it was already past noon.

When Chitose went back upstairs into their apartment, she found her husband laying face down on their bed. That's when she unexpectedly discovered that he was gone.

When she saw Hideki laying like that on his bed a few weeks earlier, it immediately reminded her of the last time she'd seen Shiba.

Miss Hibiya hadn't touched a single thing in their studio for almost three years, and the portrait she and her husband were working on was covered by a white sheet, in the very same spot where they'd last worked on it. The woman felt an immense pain in her chest as she turned on the lights and started cleaning everything off.

Through Hideki, and believing in his strong feelings for Hiroyasu, Miss Hibiya felt inspired to pick up her artwork again in a new light. Even though it hurt her so badly to know that Shiba was no longer with her, she knew deep down how much he would never have wanted his wife to stop doing what she loved.

Once everything was dusted off, Chitose stood before the silent portrait, still covered by the sheet. She pulled the cover off, not being able to hold back the painful tears she'd been holding in for years, as she looked into Shiba's eyes. The woman was reliving some of the happiest memories that she and her husband shared together.

They were both smiling, holding each other's hands. Chitose was a few years younger, and had her long, flowing, dark hair pulled back by two little pink ribbons. She remembered Shiba helping her tie those ribbons into her hair whenever they were going out somewhere. Ever since the time when she had him in her life, she just couldn't bring herself to putting them back in. Everything in that picture brought the woman right back to where she once was very happy.

After her husband passed, Chitose continued to run the apartment complex to keep her occupied with something to do, and once Hideki moved in, something about him struck a chord within her. The boy did look a great deal like Shiba, just a lot younger. Hideki was clearly a different person, but the day she'd met him, the look in his eyes brought her back to the very same kind of expression that her husband carried within his features.

Miss Hibiya started to let the pain in her heart take over, and she began to doubt that she was ready to go back to her artwork, even though she knew somewhere in her heart, that Shiba would be proud.

"Shiba, I miss you! I know you loved me very much, but I don't think I can do this!" The woman couldn't stop crying as she sat down defenselessly beside the painting.

She eventually cried herself to sleep on the basement floor.


	23. Chapter 23

**(A/N): This chapter does some weird things to me, and it is one way of getting everyone on the same page, but it is scary. It just happened while I was writing it. I didn't initially plan on taking this route, but I did, and I hope you enjoy it, and don't think this was a bad idea. **

Miss Hibiya woke up in the dark basement. Even with the light on, she didn't know what time it was. Her eyes were sore from crying, and she couldn't open them all the way.

Chitose got herself off the hard cement floor, and stood weakly on her feet. She climbed the basement stairs and made her way over to Hideki's apartment. When she knocked, there was no answer.

The woman turned around, noticing it was daylight.

_What am I doing? _She thought. _I can't expect Hideki to have the answers to this. I'm starting to think there may not even be any._

Miss Hibiya shook her head, feeling stupid. The landlady started walking into town, as she'd decided she was going to wait for the train. All she had with her was her wallet. Her dress had dirt and dust on it, and her hair was falling in front of her face.

When she got to the ticket window, the man behind the glass looked at her blankly. Chitose looked back at him with an expression unable for him to even identify, as he handed her a train ticket.

The woman stuck the slip of paper in her wallet and put it in the front pocket of her dress. She stood out on the platform behind the yellow line to wait for the train as though she was going to get on.

The memories that were surfacing in her mind felt meaningless. Chitose didn't look back even once, as she stepped forwards. The train came into view, as it blared its whistle from down the tracks.

As it pulled up, still moving at a quick clip, the woman got ready to jump in front of it. She had no idea what she was doing, and the heartbreaking pain that she felt from never grieving the loss of her husband had taken over alarmingly fast.

Miss Hibiya jumped, not even closing her eyes, but then felt an arm forcefully pull her back onto the boarding platform. She hit the hard surface, landing on the ground, but couldn't see the person behind her that had prevented her from taking her own life. The landlady sat there with the wind totally knocked out of her, while the train came to a full stop.

When she'd caught her breath, she stood up, her entire body shaking. She began to turn around. Just as she was about to let out a bloodcurdling scream from the anger that had just emerged within her like a volcanic eruption, she saw Hideki. He was standing there, his eyes full of confusion and fear.

There weren't a lot of people around them, but the ones present nearly lost their insides from shock. Hideki stepped closer to Miss Hibiya and wrapped his arms around her trembling body.

"No." The boy cried, not understanding why his friend had just tried to jump in front of a moving train.

The moment she saw Hideki, her anger vanished instantly, and she could see that everything she was fighting to protect was right in front of her. The landlady realized right there, that if Hideki was even half a second too late, she would have died forgetting about the fact that the boy and the man he loved were the very reason she was able to find meaning in her life again.

The woman stopped shaking in Hideki's arms, and looked him in the eyes. "I'm sorry," she said, as the tears in her eyes flooded the empty look that had nearly consumed her.

Hiroyasu was standing behind them, in such disbelief and confusion as well. He remembered bringing his boyfriend back to the apartment complex, and then watching him tense with unease, as one of the tenants that had seen Miss Hibiya that morning told him that she'd left, headed in the direction of the railroad station. He could feel it himself, that something was wrong, so he followed Hideki, and then couldn't believe what the boy had just stopped the woman from doing.

"I'm sorry to you too, Hiroyasu," Miss Hibiya said.

Hideki didn't know what to do, and neither did Hiro, but Miss Hibiya seemed to regret what she'd tried to do, at the very least. It just baffled the both of them as to why she would even try to do such a thing.

The three of them went back to Miss Hibiya's apartment and did their best to calm down together. The woman ended up telling Hideki and Hiroyasu about her past, and how she'd frozen up her emotions for good on the day her husband died, so she wouldn't be sad. It turned out that keeping it in for so long was about to cause the woman to take her own life, and quickly rushing to that action like she did was extremely dangerous.

"This all seemed to hit me last night when I entered my art studio for the first time since he was still alive, and I guess I let it get the best of me, until you pulled me back down onto Earth, Hideki. It feels like I was having a nightmare. I don't even know what happened to me, except that I just couldn't take the pain I was in," said Miss Hibiya.

The woman was strangely snapping out of her suicidal trance nearly just as fast as she'd fallen into it the previous day.

"Miss Hibiya, all I want to know is that you'll never try to do something like that again! You better promise me that you won't," Hideki said, in the firmest tone of voice he'd probably ever used, looking his landlady in the eye. "I am here for you, just like you were for me when I was hurt. I'll always be your friend, Miss Hibiya, and thanks to you and Hiro, I was finally able to discover what it really means to care about someone."

"You have my word, Hideki. I'm ashamed of myself that you even had to see me like that, and especially since you were the one who caught me redhanded. I feel like I've set such a poor example," the woman said, her voice growing smaller and smaller.

"You haven't set a bad example, Miss Hibiya! You just shouldn't have let this eat away at you for so many years and not talk about it to anyone. If I had known you were suffering, I would have done everything in my power to help you get through it, but I didn't know you then, however I'm eternally grateful that you're in my life now. You have helped me accept who I am, and to not be ashamed of my feelings. Hiro knows I love him, and it turns out that he loves me too," the boy said, genuinely.

"I owe you one big time as well," said the baker. "If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have seen how much Hideki needed us, not just me, you as well. I wouldn't have gotten comfortable enough with my own feelings towards him if you hadn't pushed me to the point where I was able to realize that I wanted to take care of him no matter what, and then he told me how he felt for me, and we reciprocally accepted each other's feelings. If you hadn't had a heart big enough to see into our hearts, we probably would not be together, and we'd still be fighting internal uphill battles with our feelings. I too am always here for you," the man said, looking at Miss Hibiya, whose face was wet with tears again.

"I love you both so much," she said, gaining back her confidence. "I am going to do my best, and finish Chiroru's logo! It will be beautiful, and I promise you'll be proud to see it as the image of your business."


	24. Chapter 24

**For Hylianshadow86, who I promised a happy update when I got the free time. I didn't warn you that this was coming and that I've been working on it in my little bits of free time! It's taken a lot of careful thought, especially after Miss Hibiya's close call. So, without further ado, my first chapter written while I've been away at college. Please let me know what you think. I apologize it's been so long since an update, but it does feel amazing to have gotten some writing done.**

Hiro stayed at Hideki's apartment for the night. They could tell that Miss Hibiya was exhausted, so they left after making sure she was alright.

"Hiro, I just can't believe that Miss Hibiya tried to do that to herself earlier," said the boy.

The man hugged him. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes. They were sitting on Hideki's bed. Hiro didn't know what to say, but Hideki was starting to get upset again.

"Hideki, Miss Hibiya will be okay," the baker said, with a confident and strong nod, lightly rubbing the boy's back.

"How do you know that?" The younger boy asked.

"First of all, we are both here for her, and will do whatever it takes to help her get through it, but secondly, I believe that she's just risen over a hurdle that's been preventing her from moving on with her own journey of self-discovery."

Hideki looked like he'd never processed a thought relative to what his boyfriend had just said. "I suppose that's true. Do you mean that she will be able to live for herself now, instead of living for the person that she lost?"

Hiro knew that he was getting through to the boy."Yes. That's exactly what I meant. She was living to remember the life she lived with her late husband, and had forgotten that she still has so many years ahead of her- years filled with new adventures and discoveries in life. Miss Hibiya was an artist, and I think she's finally about to unlock the door that she's closed herself out of for the past few years. And then she met you and I, and I know that if she'd gone much longer in her underlying state of despair, the consequences could have been irreversible in the future."

"How do you see all these things? I mean, sure I know what you're saying, but I never could have organized my thoughts and observations so clearly," said Hideki.

"It's really just something that takes time to grasp, and I've had a lot of that. I was even more mislead when I was younger," said Hiro, beginning to open up, as Hideki's teary eyes grew wider.

"I thought that every man was supposed to fall in love with a woman, or at the very least, spend his life looking for her. It was just the way I was raised. I didn't know any better. So, what did I do? I went to culinary school, stayed out of as much trouble as possible, and met a woman who later became my girlfriend, and then my wife for a short time."

"Did that really happen?" The boy asked, hugging the man. "I remember you mentioning that you were married once, but I'd forgotten until now."

"Yes, I'm going to finish telling you the story. I did start to date her, but at that time, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to do in a relationship. I definitely wasn't physically attracted to her in a very sexual way, but I just took that for what it seemed to be- and I obviously didn't fully understand what that was. The point is, I was forcing myself to have a romantic relationship with her, when I wasn't even aware of what romance was for me. I eventually realized it, after an encounter at a club one night. I went out to try drinking, in hopes that alcohol would turn me on to my wife a little bit more, but ended up not enjoying that, and while I was at the bar I met a guy that I got on really well with. Anyway, we both kept in contact with one another for some time, probably just a couple of months, and then he invited me to his house. As a friend, he was planning to help me with a very special cake I'd been planning to make for my wife for our first anniversary, but that was when I realized that I was living my life the wrong way, and had to tell her that I wasn't attracted to women. My friend ended up helping me bake a cake, but he casually started making movements on me while I was working, and I didn't think much of it at first until I turned around and he kissed me right on the lips."

Hideki's eyes were riveted to Hiro as he told him this story.

"After a whole year of being married, I told my wife what had happened, and she was very upset, but she understood what I was going through. We both knew that being together any longer just wasn't going to work, and that's when we got divorced. As much as I was physically attracted to that old friend of mine that kissed me, I didn't want anything more to do with intimacy. I opened Chiroru as a full bakery and patisserie, and devoted my life to it for over a decade." Hiroyasu smiled, trying to make light after what he'd said, as they were some of his most tense, confusing memories.

"Hiro, you're not alone anymore! You have me, and I love you!" The boy cried, throwing his arms around the man again. He couldn't even help it.

"I know you do, and I love you as well. It wasn't until I met you that I began to overcome everything that I struggled with in the past!" The baker said. "And so, I believe that's part of the reason why I can see that Miss Hibiya will be okay. Her life has unfolded much differently than mine has, but I can recognize that she's pulling through one of the hardest parts of her struggle. As long as we have her back, like she's had ours, that's the best we can do for her. There will never come a time when everything is easy, Hideki. We just have to face each obstacle as it comes, and the way in which we face those hardships determines what we will learn from them."

Hideki took all of that into his brain and started on the process of letting it settle down. "I won't let Miss Hibiya down when she needs me. Thank you," the boy said.

"Hideki, it never ceases to amaze me that I met you. Your heart is so big! I love you so much," The taller man said, kissing his boyfriend. He felt the boy's arm, noticing that the skin had begun to grow over the stitches. "We have to get these taken out, or your skin will grow over them," Hiro said, noting that the ones on his neck and head looked about ready to come out also."

"Not right now, silly!" The teen said, giggling, and then diving onto Hiro's mouth to plant a forceful kiss.


	25. Chapter 25

Hiroyasu made an appointment for Hideki to get his stitches out the next day. They had to wake up early to get going, since the appointment was scheduled for eight o'clock. Hiro woke the boy up, trying to be as gentle about doing so as possible, because he could tell that Hideki was still very much asleep.

Meanwhile, Hideki was having a dream of sorts. At first, it was a very strange dream. He was sitting with Hiro out at a restaurant somewhere. However, it wasn't just the two of them. They were with Hiro's parents.

To Hideki, they both seemed like nice people, and his boyfriend appeared to be very close with them. Something was definitely amiss though. His parents didn't know that the two of them were dating, and all he could see was their smiles. Their eyes didn't show any emotion. Hiro was sitting next to him, so he didn't look to see if he had the same look spread across his face. In fact, he was afraid to. It was beginning to make him very uneasy, but he was afraid to act scared. They weren't doing anything that was technically scary. They were just smiling brightly at him. As he started to shrug it off, he felt something on his head. He reached up to his forehead, but nothing was there.

He felt it again, but there was still nothing on him. The third time he felt the sensation appear, he turned around, got up, and then felt a rock pelt him in the back severely. The boy couldn't even tell where it had come from. By the time he was finished turning around, all he saw was Hiro's parents starting at him with blank smiles plastered to their faces. The baker started to get up slowly, but before he turned to face Hideki, the boy woke up.

"NO!" Hideki screamed, panting heavily. Sweat was pouring down his face and back. He looked at Hiro, who was sitting in front of him on the bed with an extremely concerned face.

"Hideki, what's going on?" The man asked.

"I-I had a bad dream? Yes, I guess it was only a dream," said the boy, as the color began to return to his face.

"You looked like you were in pain! I thought something was happening to you," the baker said. "What was the nightmare about? Though if you don't want to talk about it right now, don't feel that you must."

Hideki told the man about what had happened in the dream as they were on the way to the doctor's office. They got in Hiro's car, and immediately after pulling out of the apartment complex parking area, rain started pouring down from the heavy sky in bucket loads. The baker listened to Hideki tell him about his dream, but not once did the man connect anything from the dream to reality.

"It could have been the sudden change in weather," the taller man said.

"You think that could be an explanation as to why I had that dream?" Hideki asked.

"Yes, it's possible," his boyfriend replied.

"I've never once heard you mention your parents before. Are they still alive?" The boy asked, still trying to figure out why he had such an unsettling dream.

The man paused for a moment, as if he was thinking of what to say. "I haven't talked to my parents since they found out I was getting divorced many years ago."

"Oh... I see," said the smaller male, not knowing what or what not to ask.

"I'm not certain on why they won't speak to me, but I'm pretty sure it's because they found out why I got divorced," the man continued.

"Is that because you realized you didn't like women? Something that as silly as that?" The boy suggested.

"Yes, initially that was what seemed to upset them, however I was their only male child so they wanted me to carry on the family name, and that probably won't happen, which is fine with me, but apparently not with them."

"That really sucks. Look at how far you've come though! They are missing out," said the boy.

"Thanks, Hideki. I'm alright with it though, I've been over them not wanting to contact me for a long time, so it doesn't really bother me much anymore."

By that time, they were at the medical complex. It was still pouring rain. Hiro pulled out an umbrella from under his seat, and got out of the car to hustle over to help Hideki get out. They both huddled under the massive black umbrella, trying to avoid getting wet.

The doors opened automatically as the couple stepped inside. Hiroyasu retracted the umbrella and folded it up, sticking it in one of the pockets of his raincoat. Hideki walked up to the window where a secretary was sitting.

"Hideki Motosuwa," the boy said.

The woman pulled up his information quickly, and told him to wait a few minutes. Hideki turned around and saw that Hiro was taking off his wet coat and hanging it up to dry on a hanger near the door.

"Let me have yours as well, Hideki," the man said, politely taking his boyfriend's jacket.

"Thanks," he replied.

They both sat down in the waiting room in adjacent chairs. Hiroyasu held the boy's hand gently as they waited. Eventually, the woman called Hideki's name, and sent him through a door that led to one of the rooms down a long, twisting hallway.

"Good luck," his boyfriend said, discreetly kissing the top of the boy's hand as he got up.

"Thank you," said Hideki, smiling. "I'll be back when the're out."

After the boy's stitches were out, he and the baker went over Chiroru for a few hours and opened the place up. When they arrived, Hiroyasu told the teen to close his eyes for a moment, and then presented him with a present wrapped in white paper and green ribbon.

"Is this for me?" The boy asked, in surprise.

"Yes! I had it specially made for you, so I hope it fits."

The boy opened it and unfolded the cloth to find that it was an adorable apron with his name on it. It was tan, and across the top were three embroidered sunflowers surrounding the word "Hideki."

"Thank you so much, Hiro! This is the cutest gift ever! I love it," said the teen. The man put it on him and tied the string in the back.

Hideki ran the front while Hiroyasu worked in the back. Every so often, the man would come out holding a tray of different pastries for the boy to put away in the refrigerated glass dessert cases.

"You look so cute," The man said, before going back into the kitchen.

"Now that my stitches are out, I'm all yours" the boy said, playfully.

Hiroyasu blushed, realizing that he technically didn't have to be as delicate with Hideki anymore. "You got that right," he replied, grinning.

A few minutes later it got busy, and customers were starting to trickle in faster. The boy had gotten to know Chiroru very well, and he knew where almost everything was. Even when there was a line of people waiting, he was able to make it move much faster and much more efficiently than he had originally been able to. Upon noticing the sudden rush, the baker came out for a few minutes to help Hideki, but noticed that he had everything more or less, under control. He finished up the stocking while his boyfriend rang up each customer.

When it got quiet again, Hideki and Hiro were straightening up the store while the last batch of pound cake was in the oven. The sky had cleared up, and it was almost four o'clock in the afternoon. An old, dusty pickup truck pulled up in front of the window. At first Hideki didn't know who would be stopping, because there weren't parking spaces on the side of the street that Chiroru sat on, but then he recognized the driver.

Miss Hibiya got out of the truck. She was dressed sort of like a carpenter, with a pair of overalls on and her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Hideki went outside to see what she was doing.

"Hey Hideki!" The landlady said, cheerfully. "Guess what I finished?"

The boy looked in the bed of the truck and saw a big, flat, rectangular shaped object covered by a sheet. "Is that the new sign?" Hideki asked excitedly.

"You bet!" The woman said, with an equally upbeat tone of voice. "Can you help me get it out so I can go park somewhere? I love that apron, by the way. It looks great on you!"

"Sure," the boy said. "And thanks, Hiro got it for me!" He added, as the two of them lifted the heavy piece out of the truck's bed.

"I'll be right back, so stay right here," Miss Hibiya said.

When she came back, Hideki was still standing on the sidewalk, propping up the covered sign so it wouldn't get damaged. The woman went inside to get Hiroyasu.

"Oh my goodness!" The baker said, as Chitose unveiled her newest creation. "It's... Absolutely beautiful," he said, almost speechless.

The sign had a very classy design, and was carved out in the middle where the Eiffel Tower appeared. The silhouette of a couple was underneath it, just like in the original sketches, however this time it looked almost as if the two people were both male, or at least it could go either way. The border of the sign was carved out as well, with notches in each corner. It said "Chiroru" in the most beautiful script Hiro had ever seen. The background was a dusty shade of pink, as was the previous sign.

"Let's put this up right away!" The baker declared. He went into the storage room behind the kitchen and got his ladder and a toolbox.

The man began to unscrew the old sign above the awning with a drill. Miss Hibiya held the ladder while Hideki helped him take it down carefully. Then, they got the new sign and erected it in its new place.

The three friends stood back and looked at it. "This is amazing, Miss Hibiya," said Hideki. "You really made this? I know you could draw and paint, but I didn't know you knew how to work with wood and had the right tools to make something like this." The boy was very impressed, and also very proud of her.

"Yes, I don't mess around with art! I even got my truck out for this, and put on my work clothes. I hope I don't get stopped by a policeman, because the registration has been expired for a couple of years! I'd better get going soon," the woman chuckled.

"I'm giving you a huge sum for this job. This is professional artistry and design here, and deserves much more than what we agreed on," Hiroyasu said, handing Miss Hibiya an envelope.

"No need. Your friendship, and especially being there for me the other day is what drove me to get this project done so fast. That is something I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you for. Both of you," the landlady said, trying not to tear up. "Just promise me you'll always take care of each other," she continued.

Miss Hibiya hugged Hideki first, still trying not to cry, but when she felt him hug her back, she couldn't stop the tears. "I love you, Hideki. I'll always be here for you no matter what."

"You have me forever on your side as well. Hiro and I will take care of each other, and we will also take care of you. I love you too, and I want you to always know that, and I want you to be happy again," Hideki said, as he stood facing the woman, holding her shoulders steady. He looked her right in the eyes.

"Thank you." Chitose replied.

Then, she turned to the baker, and hugged him as well. "I haven't known you as long as Hideki has, but I can surely see how far you've come. If you enjoy graphic design, I want you to pursue it, and I'm honored that your first job was for Chiroru. More importantly, I am your friend too, and I can't imagine us ever drifting apart," said Hiroyasu.

When they were finished, Miss Hibiya had a broad smile across her face. She waved to her friends from her truck as she sped off down the road back to the apartment complex.

By now, it was getting late, so Hideki helped his boyfriend close Chiroru for the day. Afterwards, Hiro suggested that they go on their date early.

"You mean tonight? Out to dinner? All dressed up?!" Hideki exclaimed, his voice growing more and more excited with each word.

"Yes!" Hiroyasu beamed.

They stopped at Hideki's apartment so he could get dressed, and then drove over to Hiro's place so he could change clothes as well. The boy was wearing a tight black vest, and even remembered his pocket watch and chain to accent the look he was going for. He combed his usually somewhat messy hair, and then helped the baker adjust his bow tie. They both looked like they were about to attend a formal wedding.

"You look stunning," Hideki said, taking in the full view of his boyfriend. He was wearing a sleek, shimmering black suit, and even had a top hat to go with it.

"Thanks, you look handsome as well, Hideki! And pretty damn sexy," he replied. "Should I wear the hat?" The man asked, trying it on.

"Yeah! It looks fancy, like something from yesteryear, just like my pocket watch!" The boy said.

"Haha, well good! We're going to a very high end place tonight, called Le Ciel de la Nuit! It's a french restaurant on the top floor of a tall building across town. I've only been there once, and that was because as a student back when I was in culinary school, I was required to critique a renowned restaurant's food as an extra credit assignment. If I hadn't done that extra credit, I may not have passed the class, come to think of it."

Hideki's eyes lit up in even more excitement. "I've never been to a fancy restaurant before. You didn't need to plan on such an expensive place to take me. I would have been fine with just a diner or something."

"But I want to bring you here! I think you'll really like it," said the baker. "Plus, I wouldn't want to go with anyone other than you."

When the two men went downstairs, a hired driver was waiting for them at the curb standing by a silver Rolls Royce. They walked out holding hands, and got in.

"Hiro, what on Earth? Is this a Rolls Royce? Why are you doing this?" Hideki asked.

"I thought you would like it. I just wanted our first official dinner date to be special," the man said, slightly put down.

"I do like it! I love it! I just feel bad that you went through all of this for me. I wish I could do the same for you, but I don't have enough money to," the boy sulked.

"Listen Hideki, I love you, and I don't want you to feel bad at all. I just want you to enjoy yourself, and feel special, because to me you are my world."

"I love you too, Hiro! No one has ever treated me so well before. I don't really know how to react. I promise I'll have fun, but only if you do too."

"It's a deal then," the man said, as his smile returned.

The driver got in and started the car. It was so smooth and didn't even feel like they were in a moving vehicle as it drove. The interior was made of red leather, and there was lots of room. When they got to the restaurant, the driver opened the door for the couple. Hiroyasu and Hideki stepped out and went inside to take the elevator all the way up to the top floor.

When they were finally at the restaurant, the two males walked inside, and waited to be seated. It was getting dark out, and the stars were almost visible. The entire ceiling of the restaurant was made of glass. The view was breathtaking. In one corner of the dining room, there was a grand piano. Seeing this, Hideki remembered that although it had been a while since he'd last played, he wanted to show Hiro his talent. Before they sat down at their table, Hideki pulled the man over next to the piano, and sat down at the bench.

"I'm going to play you a song, Hiro."

Hideki played him a song that he would never forget. It was timeless. The teen's hands gracefully glided over the black and white keys, showing that he knew more than just the basics of piano. Hiroyasu had no idea that Hideki knew how to play. He was entranced by the boy's music, and completely felt himself get lost in it.

"Hideki... That was beautiful..."

"I love you, Hiro," the younger male said, as he stood up and kissed the man on the lips. He was crying. "Don't cry, babe. I've been waiting a long time for an opportunity like that."

"I'm sorry... You are beautiful, Hideki. I never want to lose you. I love you so much," he said, looking into the boy's deep eyes and returning the kiss.

Neither of them had noticed, but everyone in the restaurant stood up and began clapping for them. They turned towards each other once more and smiled.

**I tried so hard at this chapter. I love you Hylianshadow86! You better love this! I cried a little bit!**


	26. Chapter 26

After the applause concluded, an older couple stepped up to the piano with Hiroyasu and Hideki. The boy didn't recognize them, but his boyfriend knew who they were.

"Hiroyasu?" The old man said, taking off his glasses. His wife stood beside him and held her hand up to her face, not knowing what to do.

Before he replied, Hiroyasu stared blankly at the man until he realized who he was looking at. "D-dad? And mom? What are you doing here?" Hiro asked in disbelief.

Hiroyasu's parents were both beginning to tear up. "I'm sorry," Hiro's mother said, as she stepped closer to him. She held her head down at first, but looked up to him and repeated herself again. Her face had aged a lot since the man had last seen her.

"This is the man I've fallen in love with, Hideki," the baker said, introducing his boyfriend.

"It's nice to meet you both," the boy said, gesturing to shake hands.

Hiroyasu could tell that his mother and father were both upset, but more shocked than anything. However, there was no way for them to deny what they had just seen.

"I can tell that you're very happy, son. I'm ashamed of myself for not giving you the support you deserved all these years. I understand if you still can't forgive your mother and I, but you have my sincerest apologies," Hiroyasu's father said.

"I do forgive you. I missed you both; I just couldn't find a way to convince you that the life you wanted for me wasn't for me."

"We didn't mean to interrupt your date. I can tell this is a very special occasion," Hiro's mom said.

"It is. This is our first time going out to dinner together," Hiro said, looking over to Hideki with a smile.

"That was a beautiful song, Hideki," The old woman said. "Again, we apologize for interrupting."

"Thank you," he replied. "Don't worry about it. I've been waiting for an opportunity to play it for Hiro, and tonight was the perfect night."

The baker's parents left after a few minutes, allowing Hideki and Hiro to resume their date. Catching up with each other in depth was for another time.

"I can't believe what just happened," Hiroyasu said, trying to shake off the meeting.

"You were just talking about them earlier today. It wasn't by chance that we saw your mom and dad."

"Hideki, where exactly did you live before you moved to the city?" The man asked, curiously.

"That's a good question," the boy said, stopping to think. "I lived with my family out in the country, miles and miles from here. I'm glad I came to the city though. I couldn't have stood living another moment in that house. It wasn't bad, and I was treated far from poorly, but I didn't feel comfortable expressing my thoughts and feelings there. It was stiffing. I came here to find myself at a university, but unfortunately that didn't work out. However, I know I have the rest of my life to figure out what I want to do."

"That sounds a lot like what happened between my folks and I," Hiro responded, looking away. "And that's true about your life. You have the whole world ahead of you, and I'll be here for you every step of the way, he added."

"I won't let my parents cut me out of their lives, Hiro. Don't worry. Even yours realize what they did to you was wrong now. I've needed a lot of space from my folks, but eventually I'm sure they'll accept everything about me once I'm ready to tell them," Hideki said. "If I hadn't come to this place, I would have never found you," the boy added.

The evening was timeless. When they were ready to leave, Hideki and Hiro took the elevator back down to the first floor lobby and got in the Rolls Royce that was waiting for them.

"I was thinking... Next summer, would you like to take a trip out to my house in the country Hiro? Maybe by then I can introduce you to my family."

"I'd love to do that! I'd like to see where you grew up. It'd be nice to get out of the city for a little while too," Hiroyasu agreed.

Once the car pulled up in front of the tall apartment building, the driver opened the door. Out stepped two men still dressed as though they'd come from a wedding.

* * *

**-Epilogue-**

It was much too soon to have thoughts of getting married, but Hideki knew how deeply he felt for Hiroyasu. In fact, they both felt the same; but it wasn't until years later that they would first touch the subject of marriage in conversation.

After working an entire year at Chiroru, and spending time living with each other, Hiro and Hideki were ready to take the trip to the boy's home town. It had been two years since Hideki had last been there.

Miss Hibiya's career as a graphic designer took off within that same year as well, and she was currently taking a little time off to go on a road trip with her two best friends.

Hiroyasu and Hideki piled all of their bags and belongings they'd need for the trip into the back of Chitose's truck. Within no time, they were on the road. As much as Hideki and Hiro were in love; and wanted to be alone together, they still included Chitose in their lives as much as possible. All three of them knew they were going to be friends until the very end.

As they drove, the city got smaller and smaller out of the back window of the cab. In the distance, the sky was filled with bright, fluffy clouds surrounded by blue sky, and fresh air blew in through the open windows. Hiro held one arm out the window and the other around Hideki. Miss Hibiya had a confident smile on her face as she glanced over at the boy who had fallen asleep on Hiroyasu's shoulder.

* * *

**Official Dedication: (Hylianshadow86)**

**For Trystan,**

**This is the first long piece of writing I've ever completed. I would have never made this; which was just a vague idea prior to meeting you, into a story if it hadn't been for your support through EVERYTHING! I owe you a great deal of thanks for being there to help me whenever I need it, which is why this story, and many more will be dedicated to you. If I wasn't as happy as I am, I wouldn't have been able to express it through my writing. You've continued to help me find it all along! I love you very, very much.**

**Love,**

** Ian.**

* * *

**Special Thanks:**

**Amber (kikkyChan), who deserves a lot of credit for always supporting me from being behind the scenes! **

**My really old and true friend Markis!**

**And**** of course, my amazing friend Joyce!**


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